


The Great Ruin

by JazzyKatz



Series: Infection and Control [2]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen, M/M, Redemption, Revenge, Xenophilia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2019-10-12 11:14:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17466524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JazzyKatz/pseuds/JazzyKatz
Summary: Ten years after The Great Infection, the Resisty has relocated to Mars and everything seems almost calm once again, until the Massive arrives on Earth with a deadly message for its inhabitants.





	1. Chapter 1

_There was once a man named William Lycroft, who had a best friend named Zachariah Genesis. They were college friends, and when Zachariah wanted to build a science empire he enlisted his friend William to be his partner. It took a lot of work, but soon their hard work succeeded and they created a greatly well-known biogenetics empire; GeniCroft Industries._

_Within GeniCroft industries, William met a woman scientist named Diana Evans, who he discovered to be an alien of unknown origins. The two grew close and soon fell in love. However, when Diana married William, Zachariah became jealous. Jealous to the point that he became withdrawn and shut himself in his office for hours at a time._

_Soon, Diana and William wanted to have children, but try as they might they couldn't conceive a child. It was then they had the idea to take their own genetics and use Diana's womb to grow a clone of themselves. However, the embryo split, and they were blessed with twins! Clones of each parent, one like the other. After further tests they discovered that the children were perfect hybrids of each species, and were overjoyed at the possibilities that their children could accomplish._

_When Zachariah caught word of what they were doing he had an idea. Once the twins were born he threatened to sue the couple, claiming that they were used with his tools and thus they were his. Zachariah's jealousy warped his mind, seeing William not as a friend anymore but as a rival. He saw these children as a breakthrough in science instead of human beings. When the parents refused to give up their children he did the worst thing one could do._

_Months after the children were born, William and Diana were mysteriously killed._

_Zachariah was declared their guardian as he was their Godfather, and he began to use the twins as experiments, wondering what he could make out of them. By that time Zachariah had lost his sanity, and decided that he would use them for his own plans. He wished to take over the world, using two genetically advanced children at his side. It was purity of the race he had wanted. Those who weren’t up to his standards would be destroyed. Survival of the Fittest! The powerful shall rule the Earth!_

_For years the twins were submitted to various tests and experiments. Runa trained to kill and destroy physically, while Avery was taught to expand his mental capabilities. However, when Runa decided that she didn’t want to kill anymore, Avery was threatened to do what she couldn’t at the risk of losing his sister. Avery grew up knowing how to kill people with his mind, while Runa grew up isolated and mistreated by Zachariah for forming a conscience._

_It wasn’t long until Avery had enough of the tests and the killing, the mistreatment of his sister and most of all, his guardian. It was unknown how Zachariah Genesis died, but the coroners say his heart exploded from the inside._

_His body was the only one found in the charred remains of the laboratory. Any other person who was caught in the fire were fated to be ash._

* * *

 

“Aah!” Runa shot up in the bed she slept on, startled by the nightmare that she woke up from, either that or it was a memory. They were too similar to tell apart now. She shifted in the bed and curled up on her side, her eyes trailing towards the bed across from hers with a child curled up inside of it. The child never woke up to her frightened cries anymore, and she wondered if it was a good thing or a bad thing. This ten sweeps old child, born from her own womb. When she discovered she was pregnant it was like her world was ending. Trying to understand something that she was never taught about, least seen, was a catalyst that almost had her mentally broken. To learn that it was also created from Tallest Red was something even more devastating, as the Irken was number one on her shit list after altering her memories to suit his own personal gain.

She still hated him.

Without the help of Zetiya, a Vort and Domino’s right-hand man, she literally would have tried to kill herself. If it wasn’t for her concern and her care and taking up the responsibility despite the ever-growing need to take care of all the other aliens that had been fleeing to Domino’s planet in hopes of safety, she didn’t know where she would have been mentally or physically.

Professor Membrane insisted on monitoring her as well as the planet’s mute doctor, Adon. He and the scientist Khan were great assistants to Professor Membrane, teaching him about Irken reproduction and how it affected the host. Because of Runa’s genetic abnormality, the pregnancy made her indestructible, as the Irken inside of her worked on a kill-or-be-killed state of mind.

She felt sorry for the two Irkens, as Khan and Adon were Dios’ brothers, Khan explaining that it was because they were all hatched at the same moment and bonded since then.

Runa decided to step out of her bed, padding out of the room and leaving to go down the hall. The last ten years had been a whirlwind of panic and heartache. After the new Empire decided to advance on their borders, Retriste was in danger as it sat right outside of the physical border. If Professor Membrane hadn’t stepped up and offered a unit of salvation then all hope would be lost. There was a problem with the plan, however, and it was that Earth was already overpopulated, though the older man only laughed at the fact and pointed out that he had that taken care of.

Both her and Dib had no idea that Professor Membrane already had a Mars colony in place, awaiting its first million inhabitants.

While Mars wasn’t Earth in the slightest bit, he made sure it replicated their planet inside the dome.

The other problem was that Avery and Gaz were missing, and Runa refused to leave the Empire while her brother was still on Irk, or wherever he was. While Dib had the same reservations about Gaz, he ultimately decided that leaving with his father didn’t mean they were leaving Avery and Gaz behind, or Zim and Domino for that matter.

Zim...

Every time she looked at her son’s face, she saw remnants of Zim. The thought made Runa smile bitterly as she moved down the hallway into the shared kitchen, grabbing her glass and filling it with water.

Zim and Domino were now tainted with the virus that was supposed to kill the Control Brains, possessed by the newly altered brains themselves. The Control was what everyone called it, as the two Irkens that were so against the Empire were now assuming their leadership among it. The repopulation mission now included two key figures: The Meekrob hybrids. With both Runa and Avery under the Empire’s control, then the Irkens would become a more indestructible force that threatened the universe and everything inside of it.

The newly formed Empire drove the rebels out of their homes, as the Massive was back in play and the Armada was rebuilt. Retriste was now a hallow planet without any inhabitants, nothing more than a once-glorified rock.

The Resisty was now a strong population living on Mars, their homes styled like Earth’s coed college dormitories. Around their homes sat a thriving city that catered to everything. Retriste might have been an abandoned planet when they left but its personality moved on with Mars. The entire planet’s dome was an eclectic mix of both Human, Irken, Vortian, and everything in-between.

While Dib was in charge of the Resisty, Professor Membrane was in charge of Earth, something he did quite well and insisted on helping his son become a leader that they needed on Mars. Crux, Domino’s former bodyguard, was recruited in training him, as well as Zetiya. She knew the ins and outs of combat weaponry, while Crux handled hand-to-hand combat. The former Tallest, Red, was assisting Dib in how to run everything, from political insight to being the backbone of society. It made Runa laugh knowing that Red wasn’t just a figurehead.

Runa wanted to help Dib so much, but her responsibility was now her son. She gave birth to the universe’s first Irken-Meekrob-Human hybrid, something that Professor Membrane was impressed with. Having to take care of something so small, so clueless, was something Runa couldn’t put into words. She only knew one thing, and it was that this child was made with the very genetics that made Irkens survive without the need of PAKS. The child was also resistant to Earth water, which amazed and scared her the first time. Along with the rapid healing, he was something beyond astounding. It made her proud, protective and a little scared. Scared that he was going to be involved with their mess, and scared that he was now a living target when it came to the new Empire.

A coat draped over her shoulders, breaking Runa out of her thoughts. She looked to her side and saw Dib sitting next to her at the table she sat at, frowning at her. “It’s cold and you’re out here barefoot in a tank top and shorts.” He pointed out.

“I don’t really feel it.” She said softly, “Why are you awake?”

“I should be asking you that, but then you seem to enjoy stalking the halls at night.” He smiled slightly.

“Sleep doesn’t come easily to me anymore…” She sighed, taking a sip of her water. “I look over at him and wonder what he’s dreaming about. A child’s brain is so...new.”

“Ace is probably dreaming of zombies.” Dib chuckled, “Nothing really scares him. Not even stories about his ‘Aunt Gaz’.”

Runa smiled at that, “I hope nothing continues to scare him, but I don’t want him to become as stubborn as his father.”

“Which one?”

Runa went quiet, it was the biggest challenge in her life right now. Her son, evidently, had two fathers. Something Khan explained to her about Irken breeding and how their ‘seed’ works. Zim was proven to be one of them, from what the genetic tests said. The other… the other was an Irken she hated more than anything, who kept trying desperately to be in her life.

“His real one.” Runa finally said. She looked at Dib, clearly knowing the conflict going on when they discussed her son. It was his mate’s son, Zim’s son. Dib and Runa were both Zim’s mates, in some weird twisted way. Irkens weren’t monogamous, they lived to claim and invade. They took whatever they wanted and that included partners. The fact that they had to live with that didn’t stop being hard for either of them.

Especially when their relationship to Zim was a one-sided and abusive one.

Dib tilted his head, thinking. “Dad is taking me to Earth tomorrow so we can gather some supplies, I’m wondering if you and Ace want to come along.”

Runa turned to watch him, “My son is green, Dib. He’s a green ten-year-old boy. How in the hell are we going to pull that off?” She pointed to one eye, “His left eye is red, do you remember?”

Dib laughed, “Dad has a disguise machine ready in his ship, we took it from Zim’s space station.” He gave her a small grin. “I’m sure he’d love to go to the theme park that I definitely didn’t plan two weeks ahead of time.”

Runa couldn’t help but smile. “His first time on Earth will be dominated by roller-coasters, you know that? He won’t care about anything else.”

“Don’t forget the cotton-candy.” Dib laughed.

“What’s a theme park?” A small trill entered their ears and Runa looked back to see Ace eavesdropping around the corner, his antennae quirked forward among a mess of brown hair.

“Something you’ll enjoy.” Dib smiled at him.

Runa frowned, “Something you’ll not see if you keep sneaking out of bed to spy on your mother’s conversations.”

Ace didn’t look all too bothered, “Papa Red told me to protect you so I promised to do it.”

Runa’s eye twitched at the name, “I can protect myself, tell ‘Papa Red’ that- and to stop bothering me.” As much as she hated Red, she couldn’t let her son grow up without a father. While she didn’t want to be around him or talk to him directly, she couldn’t keep Ace from him. Though, once Zim was back in his right mind he would probably kill Red, and she didn’t have a problem with that thought one bit.

Dib frowned at what she said, nudging her in the side. “Red’s one of the volunteers coming with us, Runa.” He whispered, flinching when she choked on the water she just drank. Dib patted her back worriedly and sighed. “You can’t avoid him forever.”

“I can damn well try to!” Runa looked offended, “He wants me to live with him, like he never really stuck a PAK in me and messed with my brain! Dib, I don’t trust him.” She still wore that PAK, a grim reminder of her past. It proved to be useful, however, because it contained all the advanced Irken technology that could give her a leg-up in battle if she needed it.

“You trust Red to be near your son, but not you.” Dib folded his arms, “Isn’t this a little messed up logically?”

“Mama?” Ace looked concerned, stepping forward and trying to fight the urge to hug her like he would have as a smeet. Like his Papa told him, he had to be strong to protect his mother. There were bad people out to get her and even him.

Runa turned away from her son and whispered at Dib, “If I didn’t agree to let Red see his son then I risked Red bothering me every single day until I did. I know he won’t hurt him, and if he did I would have gutted him a long time ago.”

“Red’s changed, Runa. You have to see that, he understands he was not mentally stable enough before we fled Irk and then after leaving Retriste he started doing his best to make up for it.” Dib put a finger to his lips then when Ace finally got close enough to listen in on their hushed voices, and Runa pulled him over to hug him tight, not entirely convinced.

* * *

 

The next morning Ace had launched himself in his mother’s bed, jumping on it to jar her out of what little sleep she had gotten. Ever since Dib brought up ‘Earth’ and ‘theme park’ he was counting the hours until the sun rose. He didn’t need as much sleep as his mother, anyway. “Mama, mama, we need to go!”

Runa groaned, rolling over in her bed when her son jumped off and went for the blinds, introducing her to the bright light of the simulated sun that shone from the dome. She ducked her head under her pillow and whined, feeling the little shit tug at her foot, trying to pull her out. “You have too much energy.” She yawned.

“Mama if we hurry we can catch Uncle Dib before he leaves!” The humanoid Irken boy quickly ducked into his closet and hurried to switch into day clothes, happy that he bathed the night before.

Runa finally faced the fact that she wasn’t going to sleep for another twelve hours and sat up slowly, trying to will the sun back down. While going to Earth sounded quite nice, she had to face that tall asshole and be in a ship with him for two hours. The fact that her son was so excited didn’t help, and she knew if she pulled the ‘go with him by yourself’ routine like she always did then Ace would throw that patented pout that he saved when he wanted to give her the biggest guilt-trip ever. He never got to do anything with his mother and father together, always one or the other and he wanted them both at the same time.

It was too complicated for a ten year old to understand what kidnapping and brainwashing meant. At least, that what she kept telling herself.

She got out of the bed slowly, feeling herself being shoved outside and into the showers by a demanding child. He did everything but strip her and shove her in under the cold water. Runa turned back to scold him but was met with two green hands holding up a towel and the basket of cleansing soap.

“I’m not getting out of this am I?” She asked him, sighing when the boy shook his head. When she took the items from him he was gone in a flash, not wanting to see his mom without clothes.

After the shower Runa returned to her room, noticing a lack of a boy and sighing in relief. Dib must have him, she thought, since that’s the only place he would go in the morning. No one could get into the complex without the correct key code, and her son knew well not to leave without her.

When she was done dressing she strapped a weapon to her holster, a nice dagger she had haggled off of an alien two weeks ago. It was shiny and sharp and when you pressed a button a bigger curved blade made out of ultraviolet rays formed, making it a handy sword when you needed it. She was completely ready after braiding her hair, letting the braid fall to her hips. She smiled to herself, remembering Zim constantly complain about how messy her hair would get after fighting, but refused to cut it because he thought it would hurt her.

When someone knocked on her door she answered, poking her head out expecting her favorite human only to get her least favorite Irken. “Who let you in the complex?”

Red was Red even without his signature armor, wearing red and black robes that almost qualified for kingly garments. Still being a male who prided himself in his height, though just being less of an asshole about it. Runa really didn’t care either way, though.

“One of the smallers let me in. Is it a crime to want to see the mother of our child?” He asked coolly, attempting to step inside.

“It should be.” Runa didn’t move an inch, refusing to allow him entrance. “I’m happy you know nothing of the human legal system.”

He tilted his head curiously, “What’s that?”

“Nothing.” Runa grumbled, pushing herself out. “I’m being forced to make nice with you by my son.” She put emphasis on the word ‘my’, narrowing her eye at him, “I guess he’s used to getting what he wants.”

“Of course, he’s a prince!” Red grinned, “Why shouldn’t he get what he wants?”

“I don’t know, maybe he should be learning how to manage without? Not everyone gets what they want, Red.”

He snorted, “Ace is fully aware, but it doesn’t stop him. I know what he really wants and I’ll see to it that he gets it.”

Runa rolled her eyes, “What is it now? I told him no weapons until he’s sixteen--” She stopped when Red took her hands into his own, “Wh--”

“He wants his parents to love each other, and that’s something I want.” Red said softly, knowing she would attempt to pull her hands back and keeping a good grip on them.

Runa stepped on his foot instead, stepping away when he let go and cursed under his breath.

“His parents do love each other,” She commented as she walked, “His real father and I, anyway.”

Red glared at her, “I’m sure you’ve told him about Zim, have you? Did you completely skip out the part that he’s infected and probably hunting us all down right now?”

Runa whipped around, her hand falling on the dagger, “If you say anything I’ll rip out your antennae, I’m not about to let my son know of what’s going on outside this solar system!”

Red stared at her in shock, “You honestly can’t leave him in the dark like this! What if he meets Zim? What will he do?”

Runa hadn’t thought of that, but it wasn’t like Zim would just show up one day out of the blue. “It’s not going to happen.” She finally said, though she was having a hard time believing herself. “Not now… I want Ace to at least have a happy childhood. That includes keeping him in the dark about Zim, and _our_ past.”

Red sighed, moving closer to her and frowning slightly. “I want to start over again with you, can you at least give Ace that?”

Runa’s eye rolled, and she stepped away from him. “You’re never going to stop are you?”

“I’m stubborn, all Irkens are.” Red smiled.

The silence between them was filled with tension, Runa and Red exchanging stares while Runa thought over everything. As much as she would like to hate him, over the last ten years he worked on proving himself to be a changed man. He was still full of himself and prideful, but over the years he dedicated himself to become better as a leader and did his best to help Dib with his own task. Professor Membrane wasn’t going to live forever, and Dib knew that. He trusted Red, and took his teachings to heart. If Dib trusted Red after all the shit the Irken did ten years ago, then it must have meant something.

The question she had was if she was ready to let go of the past and move on. It didn’t mean to get romantically involved with Red, she knew that would never happen, but to possibly tolerate him enough that her son could honestly have time with both of his parents without having one of them threaten to kill the other.

Runa was stubborn as well, but she was tired. Hate required an amount of energy that the woman really could use on something else, like her training.

“Papa!” The voice of her son snapped her from her thoughts and she saw him rush past her to hug Red. A hand fell on her shoulder and she knew it was Dib at her side.

“He’s excited.” Dib said. “He ran into my room before I woke up and insisted on leaving as soon as possible.”

“Nice to know I’m not the only one.” Runa smiled slightly, glancing at Dib. As much as he had to do in a span of a day, he never showed fatigue. Possibly because he was taught never to show any weakness, but she thought it was because he learned to accept his role as a leader. He carried the weight of a planet on his shoulders, he was responsible for the wellbeing of over thirty five thousand aliens, but somehow he carried himself as he always did. The only visible change was the hardness in his eyes and a visible tattoo on his arm, rows of Irken letters circling his arm that he never talked about or translated for anyone.

He caught her watching him and smiled at her, “We should get going.”

“I call shotgun!” Ace left his father’s side to lead the four, and Runa couldn’t hold back a small laugh while they left the complex.


	2. Chapter 2

Runa had never been to a theme park, neither had Red or their son. Dib was grinning from ear to ear at the childlike awe and wonder on Runa and Red’s face at everything around them. He watched them run after Ace when he spotted the huge roller coaster, all of them stopping at the entrance and staring wide-eyed at the contraption. The thing Dib worried about was how Red’s towering height would attract attention from other humans, and while he was well disguised as his son was, the Irken’s height was utterly obvious. He breathed a sigh of relief when the humans around them only looked at him in awe before going about their own day.

The line to ride the rollercoaster wasn’t too bad, and Ace insisted on sitting with Dib, putting Runa and Red together in their own car. He wondered if the boy planned that on purpose or just wanted to be next to his favorite uncle. He was part Irken, so of course a little devious planning seemed to fit the boy to a T. When the ride started, Red tried to play cool during the start of the ride, until they dropped off the insanely high ledge and ended up clamping onto Runa, scared that he would fall out. The woman only laughed, enjoying the ride and trying not to punch Red for touching her.

Something told Dib she was trying her best to be nice to Red, though he didn’t know if it was for her son or for him.

At the end of the ride, Ace got to keep the picture of Red and Runa’s car during a big drop, grinning proudly to himself. He insisted on holding Red and Runa’s hands between every ride, unless they stopped for snacks.

Two hours of spinning and thrill rides had Runa relaxing more, finally allowing Red to take her hand at some point. He and Ace were eating their own helpings of cotton candy, and she had to admit to herself that spending time with an Irken she held a grudge over was actually more fun than she thought it’d be.

They passed a viewing screen that advertised the park and took photos of families, the camera slowly following the three and displaying them on the giant screen. Ace caught his image out of the corner of his eye and ran back to the screen.

“I want another photo!” He announced.

Runa and Red stopped, her eye over at Dib sitting down on the bench ahead of them. When Red gently tugged her over to follow him she fell in step, looking at the screen displaying the three of them.

“It’s free.” Ace pointed out, going through the side screen of backgrounds and texts until their images on the screen shown them with a cartoon-like background, the text ‘Happy Family’ written below them.

Red grinned and pulled Runa into his arms, “Family portrait then? I wouldn’t mind a copy.”

Ace looked back at his mother, “Copies cost extra.” He added his little pout, making her laugh and ruffle his hair with her hand.

“Fine, you little demon.” She smiled, handing him some extra money and allowing him to handle the rest.

When Ace was done fiddling with the customizations he stood with his parents, grinning when he pressed the button. Red pulled Runa closer to him and smiled, Runa resigning herself to a similar smile for the sake of the photo while Ace stood in front, holding up a peace sign with both hands. When the camera was done taking the photo there was a musical ring, their image freezing.

A photo fed through the little opening underneath the screen, showing all three of them perfectly. Despite their human disguises, they looked happy. Ace took it and showed his parents, his mother having quickly stepped away from Red to check on Dib, who seemed to be bombarded with a singing animatronic. He didn’t look happy.

“Where’s mine?” Red asked, looking at the screen. It still displayed their picture, flickering every so often. “Shit, it’s about to reset!”

“I paid for another!” Ace said, keeping his eyes on the opening. It finally fed through, though something about it made Ace go quiet.

Runa looked down to see Ace take the photo, his eyes on the image of his family, though unlike the first image the second was without Red and Ace’s disguises, the words ‘Happy Family’ replaced with Irken letters.

Red caught that, snatching the photo away and reading it, “Traitorous scum…”

The screen continued to flicker, catching Runa’s attention as it flickered from their original image to the other, the Irken writing replacing the words ‘Happy Family’ until the second image was on display for everyone to see.

“Dib!” Runa shouted, holding her son close and looking back at her friend. He was gone.

“Runa…” Red was looking at the other screens in the park, every one flickering to the image the main screen was displaying, catching everyone’s attention and causing a small commotion.

“DIB!” Runa cried out, trying to find him. She pushed Ace at Red, “Don’t leave your father’s side.” She said before breaking out into a run. “Dib!” She shouted again.

“Runa!” Red followed her, keeping a good grip on Ace’s arm. The boy was confused, staring at all the screens. They were now displaying Runa as she moved.

“What’s going on? Papa?” He looked up at Red, pulling him to a stop.

Red looked from Runa to his son, cursing to himself. “Ace, we have to leave. Something bad’s happening.”

The speakers that were belting out fun themed music suddenly made a piercing sound that made Runa and everyone else cover their ears, static following before a familiar voice took over the airwaves.

_“Tsk, tsk, how time changes everything.”_

Runa froze to the spot, “Z-Zim?”

 _“I really am disappointed in you, Runa. Mated to Red, with a child no less?”_ The voice chuckled, as the screens that encompassed the theme park flashed back to the family photo, though this time Red’s face was being scratched out. _“I’m sure we can fix that…”_

There was a sudden series of crashes, and the humans began screaming. Red held onto his son before the frightened people tore them apart, watching Runa steadily while the panicked humans ran as fast as they could.

 _“Filthy Humans,”_ Zim’s voice laughed, _“Run, try and save yourselves!”_

The ground began to rumble, and Runa finally turned to Red and Ace, she ran for them, pushing past the scattering group of people until a sight made her eye widen, scrambling for both of them. “It’s the Massive!” She screamed over their cries, trying to get Red’s attention. “They’re HERE!”

Red’s antennae twitched, his head turning just in time to see the ship’s shield uncloak itself, exposing the mighty vessel that was lowering itself ever-so-slowly down to the ground.

“Papa, what’s that?” Ace asked quietly, feeling his father’s grip on him tighten before Red started running. “Papa!” His eyes flickered to the sources of each crash, seeing smaller ships land in various places around the bigger one, Irkens stepping out of their hatches.

When he met with Runa she shoved him forward, “You need to get Ace out of here!” She shouted.

“Not without you!” Red responded, going as far as a vendor kiosk and ducking into it, activating his PAK’s shield. When Ace tried to leave Red hissed and pulled him back. “This isn’t the time!”

“You told me to protect her!” He was panicking.

“You’re the one who needs it more!”

“Listen to your father.” Dib’s voice cut in, tearing Ace’s attention away.

“Where the fuck did you go?” Red hissed out.

“Excuse me for assuming things were okay and taking a moment to use the bathroom. I was almost out when something collided with the building and I got locked in the stall.” He took his gun out, checking if it was charged. “There’s Irkens all over this place.”

Red glared at the floor, thinking.

Runa’s eye flickered from the screens to the Irkens that were taking in their surroundings, the largest screen flickered off and displayed the Irken symbol, all the others doing the same before displaying the visages of Zim and Domino, both of them grinning.

 _“The hybrid is not to be killed!”_ Domino announced, _“Red is to be caught alive, and same goes for that child.”_

Runa reached for her dagger, taking it out. “I’m not letting you touch them.” She said quietly.

Zim watched her, chuckling. _“Runa-pet, you honestly think you can take all these Irkens by yourself?”_

Runa looked around her, counting at least thirty. “People change, Zim. I don’t have qualms about killing anything anymore.” She responded, “Especially if it means protecting my family.”

“Papa!” Ace shouted from a distance, tearing Runa’s attention from Zim. Red was behind her, pulling out his own weapon.

“I told you to protect him!” She hissed.

“Dib relieved me of my duties.” Red answered, his hand twirling a handle until it extended into a full-length staff. He stood beside her, getting into position.

Zim’s eye twitched at the sight of Red next to his mate, _“Change of plans. The child, the hybrid, and the human are to be captured and brought to me unharmed. Red is to be mutilated by any means necessary.”_

Five soldiers decided to advance first, and Runa’s eye pulsated. She tore through the first one easily, not flinching as the purple light blade burned into the flesh of her first victim. Red dodged a close laser and slammed his staff into the Irken’s head, knocking the other out before using it to sweep under the legs of another. He kept his back to Runa as she kept her back to his, each of them knocking down soldiers that attacked them without any plan. Their movements were fast and fluid, working perfectly in sync and it pissed Zim off.

“Stop watching and attack them!” The Irken shouted, snarling. It seemed to put the fear in the soldiers’ eyes and they followed suit, all of them attacking at once.

Dib hissed, watching as the group attempted to overwhelm the two of them, firing off his gun every time he had a good shot. Ace stayed behind Dib, watching through the cracks of the kiosk for any sign of movement.

Runa ran her blade through one Irken and then another, her eye pulsating again and turning just in time, activating her PAK’s shield and throwing whoever was near her back a few yards. “We need to get out of here and protect Ace.” Runa shouted.

“I agree, we’re outnumbered.” Red was the first to back away, Runa slicing through one more Irken before they started to run.

As they tried to get to Ace and Dib, Irkens attacked from every corner. Red cursed under his breath when he barely dodged a laser beam and activated his PAK’s defense system, Runa taking the exact same que and activating her own. The wave of Irken Soldiers blocked their escape, Ace screaming for his parents when he and Dib were beginning to get flanked.

“Get behind me!” Dib shouted, dragging Ace back while firing off his own weapon.

“NOT ON MY PLANET!” Runa screamed, throwing herself at the blockade of Irkens and slicing whoever got too close, her eye flashing dangerously before a resounding explosion threw the rest of the Irkens backwards. Red hissed, dropping down before he was hit by a body.

 _“Fall back!”_ Domino’s voice boomed, _“Fall back immediately!”_ He growled.

 _“I see that you’ve unlocked some talents, Runa-pet.”_ Zim grinned, replaying the blast on other monitors at the park. _“I’m sure your brother would be proud.”_

Runa looked around, trying to find where Zim’s broadcast was coming from, letting Red run back to the booth to collect his son.

“Runa!” Dib shouted.

 _“I bet you miss dear, dear, Avery, don’t you?”_ Zim teased, his words doing their work and catching her attention.

“He’s baiting you!” Red tried to get back to Runa but Dib held him back, “What?”

“I need you to stick with Ace, I’m calling for backup.” Dib reloaded his gun, ducking away out of sight of any security cameras.

Runa was too distracted by Zim’s words, changing her attention from the waiting Irken military to the floating monitors, then at the still image of the Massive in the distance. Something was wrong.

 _“Send him out.”_ Zim ordered, pausing a little when an Advisor began speaking off camera and glaring off-screen, _“What do you mean he already left?”_

Domino started laughing, _“Eager isn’t he?”_

Runa could sense it instantly, something was different about the atmosphere. Then she felt it, something hit her shoulder, the impact leaving a sting as something ripped into her flesh and bore through. She held her breath when she felt the same object go back the way it came, catching it before it escaped her arm and holding what looked like a bloody metal ball. “What…”

The metal ball escaped her grasp, returning to where it came from.

“I have a lot more.” An all-too familiar voice called out.

Runa stilled, her heart pounding in her ears when she turned towards the source of the voice, seeing her brother walk down the pathway holding what seemed like a dozen tiny metal balls, all of them surrounding him like meteors in his own personal gravitational pull.

“Avery--” Runa’s breath hitched when another ball shot out and bore through her arm, ripping its way out and leaving a bloody hole.

“Oh don’t give me that, you’ve handled much worse.” Avery grinned, his eyes flashing white. “Let’s see if you can remember!” He stuck his arm out, sending out a barrage of bullets, cursing out when Runa finally activated her forcefield.

“Avery!” Runa backed away, “I’m not going to fight you.”

“Pity, I’m here for just that.”

 _“Avery, I told you no killing!”_ Domino hissed out.

He glared at the nearest camera pointed at him, “I’m sorry but you’re coming out choppy.” He assaulted the camera with his own bullets, going after every one in a close distance until the monitors were all but static.

 _“You let him out and he’s not controlled yet?”_ Zim’s voice raged over the speakers, _“He’s a lethal being!”_

 _“Fucking--get him restrained!”_ Domino’s voice hissed out. _“Plans changed, sedate that hybrid before he kills her! We need them alive!”_

“Shit!” Runa continued to step back, wincing every time a bullet ricochet off her shield, making it crack little by little. “Red, Red, Red!” Avery was stepping closer to her, grinning madly.

“RETREAT!” An Irken shouted at her before he was pelted with bullets.

Runa didn’t hesitate, turning and racing towards her son and his father, each hit her shield took making her panic before it shattered from behind, causing her to dive behind a sign before the bullets returned.

“Mama!”

Runa felt the stinging pain as the bullets passed through her body, gasping for air. Her vision was becoming blurry when she started hearing screaming and guttural cries, an explosion and Red’s voice calling her name. She could feel blood on her hands when she touched her abdomen, and before everything went black two strong hands lifted her off the ground.

* * *

 

She woke up in a hospital bed, an IV hooked to her arm. From the sight of the room she gathered it was the medical wing of Professor Membrane’s space ship, as she was there during the birth of her son.

“Finally…” Red said from her side, breathing out a sigh of relief. “Adon had to pull out fifty pieces of metal from your body.”

Runa didn’t look at him, frowning. “Where’s Ace?”

“Twerp’s sleeping in the other room, had to give him a tiny sedative.” He replied, “Apparently it’s scarring for a child to see his mother getting riddled with bullets by his own uncle.”

She cringed at the thought and finally turned her head to look at him, “The last thing I wanted was for him to get involved in this…”

“I saw worse at his age.” Red shrugged, ignoring her glare, “What? The Academy was pretty much unforgiving for a smeet.”

“We’re not on Irk.” Runa hissed out, “This is not your little horribly abusive yet normal past, this is my son’s reality. Human children don’t see people die on a daily basis.”

“He’ll recover when he sees you walking around.” Red frowned, taking her hand, “ What about you? Why not worry about yourself for once?”

Runa removed her hand from his, “What about me? I’m fine.”

“Your brother almost killed you.”

“I’ll get over it.” She answered quietly. “I’m sure he didn’t do it on purpose.”

Red stared at her incredulously, “I’m sure. Though if you need to know it from him, he’s sedated in the holding cube right now.” At his words Runa shot up in the bed, immediately going for her IV tube to pull it out. Red groaned in frustration and moved to push her back down. “Stop that!”

“I have to see him!” Runa argued, trying again to get out of the bed. When Red attempted to push her back down she laid a hand on his shoulder, and when her eye flashed he was slammed against the wall.

“Damnit Runa!” Red hissed out in pain, watching her get up and make her way to the door.

When it opened Runa was met with Khan and Adon, the first of the two nervously twitching. “You shouldn’t be leaving!” Khan cried out, shooing her further inside. “We haven’t released you properly!”

“I want to see my brother.” Runa ground out, getting agitated.

Adon held up his hand and shook his head, prompting Khan to wince. “Miss Runa, I’m afraid if you’re there things will only get worse. From what my brother and Mister Simmons had learned, he’s very unstable and very dangerous. His power is too amplified and keeping him sedated seems to be the only thing that lets us speak to him normally.” He couldn’t help shake at the thought, “I’m working with the technicians to create a device that will dull down his abilities while being strong enough to withstand durability, but Dib told us that you’re not allowed to see him until then.”

Runa flinched when Red’s hand sat on her shoulder, feeling a reassuring squeeze. “Why can’t I see him?” She asked, trying so hard not to get bothered by the fact that she wasn’t allowed to talk to Avery.

Khan looked hesitant to say anything, until Adon nudged him in the side. He whined and adjusted his glasses, nervously glancing at the floor. “Dib has been talking to him, you see. Mister Avery seems to be neutral towards him, but when you’re mentioned the sedative stops working and…” He was nudged again by his brother and a squeak came from his mouth. “He really wants to kill you.” He said it fast, shutting his eyes and whining. “We don’t know why, but all we know is that if he sees you he’ll attempt to kill you again and--”

Runa was shaking from the news, either not noticing Red’s comforting hug from behind or not caring, leaning against his frame when her legs felt weak. “He--wants to kill me?” Runa’s voice cracked, “That’s not true, he wouldn’t… we’ve spent our entire lives together! He saved my life from a madman! He tracked me down when Zim…”

Zim.

Runa almost collapsed, but Red caught her immediately, slowly lowering her to the floor as realization hit. “Zim did this. He’s under the Control and he messed with Avery and maybe Avery’s infected too. He’d never kill me!”

* * *

 

Ace could hear his mother’s voice from the room next to hers, he kept quiet and listened to her argue with his father and with Adon and Khan. The image of her being mutilated was still fresh in his mind, but while he was happy that she was alive, his concern was for his uncle Avery. It was the first time he had seen his uncle, despite having heard of him for years. He wondered why his uncle attacked her, why wasn’t she allowed to see him. Did he really want her dead?

The curiosity of the events that happened on Earth was all that dominated his thoughts. Uncle Avery came from space, where his other father was. In fact, he remembered seeing Papa Zim on one of the monitors. Was his uncle living with his father? Why did they want to kill his mother?

He knew something big was going on, from what his other father would tell him. He also knew that his mother was hiding everything from him. He knew when he was being lied to, and he also knew that something bad happened and that’s why his mother hated Papa Red. He had so many questions and no one would give him any answers. It wasn’t fair to him, in his opinion. He didn’t want to be left in the dark.

He continued to listen to his mother’s voice until he started hearing his Uncle Dib. His antennae twitched and Ace decided to do what he did best, spy in on conversations. He left the room quietly, checking the empty hallway before coming close to the door to the medical ward.

“...still won’t talk to me, and I know as hell he won’t talk to you.” Dib’s voice sounded exhausted. “I don’t know what Zim and Domino did to Avery but we’re going to run some tests on him.”

“It has to be The Control!” His mother almost cried out, “They brainwashed him and--”

“There’s nothing we can do until we get him back to Mars. Simmons is keeping him in the main lab, heavily sedated.”

“What about Earth, has it been compromised?” His father’s voice spoke up.

“The entire planet has been taken by the Irken Armada, but we haven’t received word from the Massive. Dad’s down there having his men keep track of the ships and the Irkens seem to be waiting for something. The humans are being told to evacuate to the underground tunnels…”

Ace didn’t stay to listen, making his way down the hall and slipping into the shadows once he was around the corner. He knew Great Uncle Membrane’s ship well, and used his height to crawl into the air ducts to avoid the scientists that wandered around. His movement stopped when he reached the main laboratory, peeking through the vents to see the giant glass cube that his uncle was currently sitting inside. Simmons was in the corner, adjusting the levels of Avery’s sedatives. Ace watched, settling down and waiting. He was good at waiting.

Avery looked calm, staring off to the side of his imprisonment and relaxing against a corner, his eyes trained on the floor. When Simmons was called away by another scientist, he seemed to smile slightly, his eyes flickering up at the vent.

 _“I know you’re there.”_ The sudden voice shocked Ace, and when he looked behind him the same voice chuckled. _“Look at the cube.”_ The voice directed the child, and Ace looked down, seeing Avery’s eyes directly on him.

“Wh--how did you know?” Ace whispered, wanting to leave the cube and get closer. He didn’t, however, knowing there were cameras in the room.

 _“Little boy, I can read your thoughts. I’m positive that you can do the same, as you’re my nephew.”_ Avery motioned his hand, flicking his fingers to turn a camera near the vent away from its spot. He repeated the process with the other five, smirking and leaning forward. _“Come down, you won’t be seen.”_

Ace was hesitant, but after a mental nudge from his uncle he nodded and unscrewed the vent with his own ability, leaving in only one screw and moving to drop down.

Avery watched Ace, taking in the boy’s features. Irken and human skin blotted together as if it was some form of alien vitiligo. His eyes were different, the right one fully human, red in color while the other was completely Irken. Short brown hair that was messier than Avery’s, nearly hiding two Irken antennae stalks among the mess. Of course, his clothes were human-like in appearance.

“You look like them.” Avery said after studying him. “I find it fascinating that the two people I hate so much in the world can make something I can’t even begin to see fault with.”

“Why do you hate my mom?” Ace asked quietly, moving to stand near his uncle. “Uncle Dib said you hate her.”

Avery snorted at the name, “Uncle Dib, then…” He crossed his arms and settled them on his knees. “Your mother never told you about what happened?”

“Mama keeps a lot from me.” The boy looked bothered, “I really don’t like it. I know there’s things that people are not telling me and I hoped...you could help.”

Avery shook his head, “You’re a smart boy. I’ll help you, if you help me afterward.” He touched the glass with his finger, creating a crack in it. “I can get out at any time, you know. I’m only pretending to be powerless.”

Ace’s head tilted to the side, “Why?”

He grinned, “I’m on a super secret mission, but you can’t tell anyone. Tallest Zim--”

“Papa?”

Avery was startled by the interruption, “You know about Zim?”

Ace nodded furiously, “He’s my second dad. Mama says he’s my real dad but I actually have two!” He smiled at that, “Tell me about him?”

There was an unreadable look in Avery’s eyes, and he stayed silent as he studied the boy. Slowly he smiled, “If you’re Tallest Zim’s son then I can do more than tell you about him.” He said quietly. “When I get done with my mission, you can come with me and I can take you to meet him.”

Ace’s eyes widened, but Avery put a finger to his lips. _“You’re going to keep this a secret, okay? If your mother or Uncle Dib knew then they would keep you away from us.”_

The hybrid child looked thoughtful with this, and honestly his uncle made sense. But really, if they were going to keep secrets from him then why not he have his own secret? It made perfect sense not to tell anyone.

When Ace nodded Avery chuckled, “Good boy. Now, I should hold my end of the deal and tell you everything no one wants to talk about. What do you want to know first?”

Ace watched his uncle, biting his lip and thinking. “Why did you try to kill my mom?”

“Simple.” Avery said. “My Tallest wanted me to.”


	3. Chapter 3

Runa was being watched over like a child, and Red was her keeper. Dib had ordered it, as he was far too busy to oversee her himself. He wouldn’t have decided for it, but on three different occasions after her release from the infirmary, she was caught trying to sneak into the labs to see her brother. While Runa was trying to look for answers, Dib could only see the downsides in her having any contact with Avery.

She had been moved to Red’s home against her will, as Red was the only person who could successfully reel her in. While she saw this arrangement as something horrible, Red took it as a blessing in disguise and a perfect way to spend more time with his family. With Runa, came Ace, and the boy was quite happy to see his father more than he was once allowed.

Red’s home also had a state of the art security system, which was useful when the mother of his child felt like sneaking out during midnight through the third story window. She never made it past the front gate without engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the Irken. Red knew he was the only person aside from Crux who matched her skill, powers or not.

“You’re acting like a smeet.” Red shouted, “There’s a horrible threat to your very life in that laboratory and all you can think about is reminiscing with it!” He kept his staff down against her throat, waiting for Runa to put away her own blade. “Brother or not, this man is trying to end your life. Think about what it’s doing to our son.”

Runa narrowed her eye at him and finally deactivated her blade, waiting for him to ease up on the staff. “Give me at least five minutes alone with Avery. That’s all I want. Five fucking minutes to get my own answers!” She shoved his hand away and got up herself. “My son is doing perfectly fine.”

“Yes, Ace is just perfectly happy watching his mother try and murder herself.” Red spat, reaching over to grab her arm and drag her back into the house. “Before your next attempt to sneak out of my home, why not reflect on your own actions? Dib moved you in here for a good reason, Runa.”

“Don’t. Don’t play like you’re the good guy in all of this. Because you’re not. You’re never the good guy, Red.” She hissed out. “Dib may think highly of you but I still don’t trust you.”

He glared irritably at her, “This is not the time to rehash your hatred of me, Runa. I spent ten years remembering everything I once did and the only one who still manages to hold a grudge is the mother of my child. Everyone’s forgiven me of my actions, why can’t you?”

“I don’t know, Red. Why would I still hold a grudge?” She whispered, “It’s not like you installed something inside of me and tried to override every fucking memory I had--oh wait, let me fix that.” She reached up and a PAK leg appeared from behind, grabbing her blade and taking it back into the PAK. “It’s not like I can take this off or anything, you know, without _dying_ after ten minutes.” She spat out.

“How many times have I apologized for what I did?” He flicked his wrist to shrink the staff, pocketing it. “I could walk on the planet of broken glass for thirty years and you still wouldn’t smile at me. Do you even realize that the only time you actually let your guard down around me was at the theme park?” His own PAK opened up so he could retrieve the picture he had, showing it to her. “You actually had fun for the short time we were there.”

“I was pretending for Ace.” Runa said defensively. “He deserved to have a good day.”

“Bull-fucking-shit, Runa.” He put the photo in her hands. “Take a look at that, you didn’t look forced at all. Ace was pretty happy to see us getting along so well before it all went south. Now that Zim’s resurfaced you’re becoming reckless and unhinged. Did Dib tell you he’s restricted your ship privileges?” He questioned, quirking an antennae. “He’s afraid you’ll hijack one of them and go back to Earth to face him!”

Runa couldn’t believe what she was hearing, having never heard of this before now. “Do you really think I’d actually do that?”

Red took the photo back, “Sometimes I wonder, Runa. You tell Ace this giant fairy tale about his ‘real dad’ without mentioning how much of an insane person he is, and what he has done. Meanwhile, you treat me like shit when I’ve done everything I could think of to earn your forgiveness! I have to agree with Dib sometimes, you’re biased when it comes to both of us. For Irk’s sake, Runa, he tried to kill you and then did his best to enslave you!” He did his best not to yell, glaring at her. “How can you defend that?”

Runa bit her lip, stepping back when Red stepped forward. “Everything was different, you don’t understand. Zim might have done some things but his reasoning behind it--”

“Stop.” He reached forward to grab her arms, “Listen to yourself for one second. You are so devoted to a self-centered Irken that likes the thought of collecting whoever he wants. Dib’s his mate too, remember? He’s not as convoluted as you are but he realizes how insane that alien is!” He watched her carefully, relaxing his grip around her arms. “I’m doing my best to redeem myself, Runa. While I realize what I put you through, you need to realize what you’re putting me through. You’re confusing our son with this dream that his other father is someone that he’s not. If Zim discovers that Ace is his as well, what do you think he’s going to do? He’s not going to play the well-adjusted father that I’ve been doing my best to be. He’s going to feed so much of his own bullshit into that boy’s head until Ace is as delusional as he is.”

Runa waited until he let her go, making a fist with her hands and glaring at him. She couldn’t bring herself to punch him, though. No, that would prove him right. She didn’t want to prove him right, even though the truth was staring at her in the face. Zim wasn’t special. Zim wasn’t what she wanted to believe he was. Zim was a lunatic with a long line of deaths in his repertoire and the biggest ego in the universe. Red was right, and she regretted telling Dib about what Zim had done to her. Because now Red knew, and now he was fucking right. She didn’t want Red to be right. She didn’t want to accept the fact that Zim’s a fucking psycho and Red’s actually the saint. Even if he did all this shit to her, it wasn’t half as bad as what Zim had done.

This is why Dib was trying to get Runa to forgive Red. Because he was worried. He was worried about what would happen if she continued to believe in a happy ending with Zim. Hell, Dib loved Zim as well but he also had a long time history with the alien. He didn’t have any delusions when it came to Zim. He knew that he loved a narcissistic psychopath, and he was somehow fine with it.

Red could see the conflict in her eye, how she was coming clear to the truth but having trouble dealing with it. He let out a sigh and pulled her closer, holding her tight against him while she stared blankly off into space, trying to keep herself from crying. She wasn’t winning this battle, however, the emotions rolling into her like a storm and her legs giving out. Red was able to keep her upright as she cried horribly, doing his best to console the mother of his child.

* * *

 

A rainstorm of emotions made a consoling hug into something more, where soothing whispers became tentative kisses and caring touches became more raw and passionate. A need for a warm embrace turned into a desperate desire for more than just a shoulder to cry on, emotions boiling over until relief came in a raging climax between two beings.

When Runa awoke, she was laying pressed against another body. His arms were holding her close by the waist while his head was tucked in the crook of her neck. Coupled with the fact that the bed was fairly large and comfortable, she felt like resuming her sleep.

For a second.

Upon realization that the body pressed against hers was Red, all relaxation left her body and she went rigid. Upon further realization that something was still inside something else, she let out a strangled cry and nudged the Irken repeatedly until he woke up.

“Wake up--wake up--wake up--”

She nudged him harder with each turn, almost shoving him when his eyes started to open. He looked down at her for a moment and took in her uncomfortable glare, realizing that, after a while, that they were quite nude under the sheets. Though, his reaction wasn’t like hers in the slightest, and he gave her a charming grin and wiggled his hips. “Found something nice?”

Runa cried out and promptly smacked his shoulder. “This is not funny you asshole! Get the fuck out of me before Ace wakes up--”

“Seeing his parents in the same bed after a night of lovemaking won’t really scar the smeetling as you think.” Red smirked, “Actually I think he’d be happy.”

Runa smacked his shoulder again, “Get the fuck off me.”

She eventually got her way, as Red didn’t really want to end up battered and bruised. When he moved off of Runa she grabbed for the other end of the sheets and covered herself. “I’m not going to ask if we did what I think we did because my legs are fucking sticky and I’m not as dumb as I used to be.” She felt uncomfortable, glaring at him. “What just happened?”

Red didn’t really find the situation alarming, only resting on his side and trailing his fingers up her spine. “Emotions took over, and something great happened.”

Runa flinched when he touched her, smacking his hand away and sitting differently, “I was never planning on sleeping with you!” She shouted, “If anything, I was looking for just a comforting hug and nothing more.” Runa folded her arms then, keeping her eye on him.

“You actually kissed me first.” Red told her, “I remember what I was taught about human interaction, and not once did you say ‘no’.”

Runa groaned and let her head fall into her hands, finally laying back down and curling up on the bed. She wanted to deny this so much… but what good would it do? They had outright consensual sex, and from what she could remember, it was good. The horrible realization hit her and she cringed. It was good.

God, she liked it.

Red took that moment to settle himself over her, peeking through the crack in her hands and smiling. “We’re both adults, Runa. It’s alright to have sex with someone else.”

Runa shut her eye, “Red,”

He reached up to move her hand away, placing soft kisses on the cheek under her askew eyepatch. “There’s nothing wrong with admitting it.”

“Yes there is!” She tried again, finally looking at him with a flush to her cheeks. “Everything’s wrong with admitting that…” She turned her head away when he went for her lips, gasping out when he decided on her neck. “Before yesterday, I thought everything was right. I hated you, I loved Zim. Everything was perfect and now you shove reality into my face and--” She moaned. God fucking damnit, she moaned.

“Stop thinking about it.” Red told her, “Should I pretend I’m a planetary leader and command you to obey me?” He gave her a wicked grin, one that tempted her to push him until he was falling off the bed.

“You’re aching for me to hurt you.” Runa warned, trying to hold back that blissful sigh when fingers disappeared under the sheets.

“Still not saying ‘no’,” He singsonged, purring at her reactions.

She hated him. For the next two hours, she loathed everything about him. Every delicious, breath-taking and well drawn out thing about him.

She stopped hating him after the third hour, enough to make him regret it.

It was Six AM when everything finally settled down, Red resting lazily next to Runa and tracing his fingers along her belly. “What would you say to giving Ace a little sibling?”

Runa was trying so hard not to smack him, laughing out. “Don’t push it.”

“I’m pretty sure something happened.” He thought aloud, smirking. “We didn’t really use any protection.”

She groaned at that, leaning her head back. “Zim and Domino are threatening the Earth and all you want to do is get me pregnant.”

He chuckled, “You were indestructible with Ace, I’m only thinking it as a good line of defense. As a former Tallest, you’re always thinking of getting the upper hand.”

Runa sighed and played with his antennae, “Stop talking.”

 

* * *

 

The transmission came late in the night, captured quickly by the lead tech and translated well into the morning. It had been seen globally in every country and in almost every known Earth language. Membrane quickly called for a meeting of the United Nations, requesting for his son to call upon the leaders of the resistance to join the urgent call.

Runa sat uncomfortably next to Crux, while Zetiya and Red took seating on the other side. Dib was staring at the recording that was on repeat, Tallest Domino’s formal call to arms for Earth’s surrender. The second screen was split with every representative of the United Nations, all of them trying to drown out each other in an argument.

_“This is Almighty Tallest Domino, calling onto the people of Earth. We, the Irken Empire, demand that our requests be met, or your planet and all the planets surrounding Earth will be invaded and obliterated at the end of your third lunar cycle. Our demands are simple, as what we desire is the willing cooperation of the remaining Meekrob hybrids. Surrender them and their kin to us and we will return to our part of the universe. If your poor little Resistance decides to keep them, however, Earth will become nothing but cinders and those that survive the sweeps will be subject to experimentation. Do not attempt to be a hero and defy the groups of Irken milita sent to your many countries, as we are ten times more dangerous than anything you’ve ever faced. Attacking our soldiers will only lead to your own death, so please, be kind to them. Perhaps bake some cookies for them. We aren’t against gifts of snacks, and if you capture favor with them, you might not be the first to die.”_

 

“That’s pleasant.” Zetiya commented blandly, “I’m delighted that becoming infected doesn’t take away any humor among the ranks.”

“This entire speech is repeated at least twenty times in the top languages that dominate Earth.” Professor Membrane spoke from his screen, “We have accounted for every language but one, which doesn’t exist on this planet at all.”

The screen forwarded to the last twenty minutes, and Domino looked all around tired, stepping off-camera to do something and returning a minute later before speaking again.

_“Chyuc yuc Jenyumeh, Yulpom Roujol eh cho Umgonk Locyucgumso. Gyuno yucm'g em ni cyujo, chyuc yuc u helnur lowocg hel locyucgumso. Cho yumcumo kulg eh cho Onkyulo fuc harai ussokgoja cho byulac, umja cgyura fuc meh pmequrojto chug YU fubo orajoja yug. Fequobol, uc gyuno kuaisoc ni locyucgumso tulequc quouli umja ni kulgmol vosenoc nelo uquulo eh cho glach. YU krou emgeh ni sloqu, ni senlujoc, yuh iea quyuus geh cubo ieal krumog chom logalm no geh ni kecyugyuem. YU glacg iea quyura amjolcgumja quoom YU cui gyuno yuc hroogot.”_

Red’s antennae flattened, “What the hell was that?” He could see that only two people understood what was said, both Crux and Zetiya breaking out in hoots and hollers.

“That’s my Dom!” Zetiya looked ready to cry.

“Does anyone care to explain?” One person shouted.

Dib agreed, “I’d love to know this, Zet?”

Crux stood up, grinning at the man toothily, “That there is the language of the Resistance!”

Runa quirked a brow.

“It’s a language Domino and Lard Nar cooked up to stay in communication with each other. Anyone in the Antemps know what exactly he was sayin’!” Zetiya explained, “He’s sendin’ out a distress signal and askin’ for our help!”

Dib looked skeptical, “Are you sure it’s not a trap?” He questioned. “He’s infected, don’t you remember?”

Runa shot up in her seat, “Dib, pause that feed!” She stepped up to the screen and pointed at a reflection. “That’s a PAK!”

Membrane looked thoughtful, rewinding the clip and putting it in slow motion. The reflection was bare until Domino stepped away from the camera, exposing the back of the Tallest as he took the PAK off.

“That’s a fucking loophole in the system!” Red shouted out, “Irkens have ten whole minutes before dying, but if you take it off just for two or three minutes, you can bypass the internal brain and do what you can without the risk of your thoughts being recorded and scanned.”

Runa looked excited at this, “Wait--hold on!” She stepped over to Dib, “Didn’t you say that Lard Nar created an antivirus for the new virus Zim made?”

Dib realized where she was going, “Domino took that before he made his way back in…” He looked hopeful before realization barreled into him. “Zim was against disabling his PAK entirely.”

“That’s what Dom’s sayin’, hun.” Zetiya spoke up. “‘The insane part of the Empire has fully accepted the virus’.” She looked grim at that, “Zim did himself in an’ he didn’t notice.”

“Either that or he’s crazy enough to do that on purpose.” Red surmised, “Let’s face it, despite everything, Zim has exactly what he wants. He has power, and now he has control. Though, he’s missing some key items…” He looked over at Dib and Runa, “Zim’s after Runa and Avery.”

Runa looked nervous, “That means he wants Ace. He saw him at the park, and now Ace is in danger.”

Dib slapped his hand on the table, “We have only three months, if Zim wants them then he’s going to do a whole hell of a lot more than threaten us.”

“If it means saving Earth then we should give them the Meekrob!” One person shouted. A few more of the Earth delegates fell into agreement until people were arguing over each other over saving Earth and the ethics of abandoning a life for others.

“ENOUGH!” Membrane shouted over them, “Forfeiting the hybrids will mean the elimination of the Earthen race as well as every other species outside our universe. The Empire is after what Hitler was after during World War Two. They want to purify the universe and perfect it, and you’re agreeing to their demands out of FEAR?”

“If it means Earth will be left unharmed, then so be it!” President Man cried out.

“Earth will be destroyed either way!” Runa shouted, bringing the screen full of delegates to a full stop. “They want something that me and my brother worked hard to escape. That’s what He wanted to begin with, He wanted to wipe out the human race and use US to recreate it. He wanted US to be the new Adam and Eve while He wanted to be GOD!” She looked disgusted at that, “The time limit is a bluff, because the Empire will destroy you no matter what you do.”

Red stood up and moved over to console her, but she stepped away. “Irkens have no emotions.” She spoke again, looking at the delegates. “Irkens thrive on the pleasure of seeing others in pain, they only love one thing, control. They won’t feel pity for you, they won’t be sad about killing anyone. They won’t even come to love you. There is no perfectly happy ending where you convince them that they’re wrong. They’re always right, and everyone who rejects their ideals aren’t fit to exist.” She glanced back, ignoring how unsettling Red looked just now.

Crux nodded, “Girlie’s right, ya know. Irkens are bred to be cold hearted killers an' I was one of 'em.” He moved over to Red and slapped the man on his shoulder, shocking him out of his thoughts. “What yeh see here is a couple o’ Irkens who quit that bullshit, an’ that Tallest there, is the first Irken who came out an’ told all of em’ to fuck it.”

The crowd started arguing again, but this time their connection was cut off. Dib changed his attention over to Zetiya then, nodding. “How hard will it be to send in a rescue team?”

Zetiya grinned at that and put her hands on her hips, “Easy when you’re dealin’ with a Vortian made ship.” She winked. “The hard part is gettin’ Domie out.”

“I know the layout of that ship like the back of my hand.” Red spoke up, “We can get in, and we can get around. All that’s left is getting past the soldiers.”

Dib nodded, thinking carefully. “First off, we need to distract Zim. If anything, he’s our biggest threat. The team to rescue Domino will have to be small, pros with stealth missions with minimal damage.”

Crux snorted at that, “I’ll stick to the chaos, I ain’t for stealth. As much as I love Dom, I’d sooner go on a rampage.”

Runa glanced from Dib to Red, and over to Zetiya, “If you need stealth, I’m perfect for this.”

Dib looked over at her, looking doubtful. “I don’t think it’d be wise to put you anywhere near the Massive if that’s what Zim’s goal is. Sorry, Runa. We can’t use you.”

Runa flinched at that, narrowing her eye in his direction. “Dib, out of everyone in this room, the two that know the layout of the Massive the best is Red and me. I’m also the only one that used to fight without the intent to kill, and if anything, I’ve been designed for this type of mission.”

Dib sighed, “I’m not saying you’re not qualified, I’m saying that you’re the biggest reason the Massive is even on Earth right now. If we allow you to board the Massive, we’re taking a gigantic risk.”

She folded her arms, stepping closer. “Not if you are the one to distract Zim.” She countered, “He’s not only after me, he also wants you.” She stopped in front of him and reached out to poke his tattooed arm. “You’re his mate, if anyone can lure him out for...I don’t know...a nice public chat in the middle of central park…” She grinned then, watching the realization in his eyes.

Runa took that moment then, grabbing his shoulder. “You send out an invitation to Tallest Zim, tell him that you’ll only meet with him in a public area. Zim will take along guards, of course, so you do the same to even it up. The invitation is just a meet and greet, and you heavily imply that any sort of violence is prohibited or it’s a no-go. Meanwhile, Zet stows us on the Massive while Zim is out. We will have a giant time crunch, and the faster we go the better. There’s a bunch of security codes and hidden pathways in the Massive that only a Tallest knows, and that’s where Red comes in.” She gestured towards Red, who was now leaning in to listen. “Between the two of us, we can slip in and slip out without many taking notice.”

Zeitya grinned at the plan, making her way over to Runa and laying a hand on her shoulder. “That’s a great plan, Runa. You’ve improved so much over these ten years.”

The words hit Runa with mixed feelings, a sense of pride and overwhelming uneasiness over what Zetiya was implying. She forced a small smile, nodding slightly and shifting uncomfortably. “T...thanks.”

Zetiya felt the girl’s embarrassment, “It ain’t embarassin’ hun.” She soothed, smiling reassuringly.

Dib couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of the two of them interacting, “Right, it’s a good plan, but there’s something we need to address.” His face went serious again, “What about your son, Runa?”

She quirked a brow, “What about him? He’s been spending most of his time with Adon and Khan lately. They’re pretty good with him. The less he knows about what I’m doing, the better.”

He nodded, though slightly uneasy at the reassurance. “Avery is under sedation still, so I’m not concerned about him. However, I still don’t like the idea of you entering the Massive like you are now.” He gestured to her being, “Everyone knows what you look like.”

“Disguise chip.” Zetiya spoke up. “I have a collection of chips for every occasion, hun. With the PAK on her she can pass for an Irken easily.”

Red couldn’t help but grin at the thought, cracking his knuckles until all attention was on him. “The best time to get him would be during the guard’s shift change. There’s limited time, but a perfect opening to get him to the hidden passageways. They were specifically designed as an escape route for the Tallests if the Massive became compromised or suffered extreme damage, and only the advisors and the topmost members of the Armada know of them.”

Crux was deep in thought, tapping his nails on the table. “Yeh waitin’ for shift change is great an’ all, but what about when they figure out their precious Tallest is missin’?” He gazed over at Red, grinning. “The Armada will be all over the fuckin’ place, an’ then what?”

Zetiya looked concerned at that, looking over at Dib while Red took in the information.

Runa’s eye slowly rose after a moment of thought. She looked over at Dib. “Zim’s space station.”

Dib paused at that, realizing what she was implying. “It has teleporters that go to the Massive itself, entering the Massive through that will be perfectly easy.”

Red looked thoughtful, “Those teleporters are placed in a highly secured area, but they’re also where one of the hidden passageways lead to. From there it’s a straight shot to the Tallest’s quarters.” He froze suddenly, coming to the sick realization that Zim had a unsecure route into the Massive that he could have used at any time. “You’re telling me Zim established a way to get onto the Massive if he wanted to drop by and say hello?” His voice shouted then, looking shocked.

Runa bit her lip, “That’s what Dib and I used to get to the palace on Irk, when Zim--”

“THE PALACE TOO?”

She winced at the sudden shout, and Dib rolled his eyes. “Yes, we get it. Zim had full access to you and Purple before he went even more insane, but...” He looked back to Runa, “Wasn’t the teleporter to the Massive smashed?”

Zetiya chuckled at that, “Give me a look at that, hun. I may be able to repair it.”

Runa fought off the urge to be amused at Red’s horrified discovery, returning to the matter at hand. “Is there any way to contact Domino covertly to alert him?”

“I wouldn’t chance it.” Zetiya shook her head, “Dom’s message alone is pulling off a giant risk to his safety, to send even an encrypted message of our plan is just askin’ for trouble.”

“He ain’t one to ask for help unless it’s necessary.” Crux added, “If he was able to get out himself, he would’ve been here by now.”

Runa let out a sigh, “Zim… it’s all Zim.”

Dib looked concerned, “Runa, if I have to keep you here--”

“NO!” She cried out, looking stunned. “I may have a history with him but I’m not crazy enough to abandon everything to…” She looked at Dib hard, “Red told me you revoked my flying privileges. Do you actually think I’d go back to him?”

Dib shook his head, “After everything, I’m not so sure. He really did a number on you, Runa. You were so loyal to him even after you realized what it really meant.”

“That’s what I told her.” Red muttered.

Zeitya sighed, “Abuse isn’t hard to escape,” She gave a long, hard look at Red, “Domino told me about his years in training.”

Red couldn’t look at her in the eyes, but he knew by the way she was staring at him that he felt smaller than he was. “I’m aware of the awful things I’ve done in my past, and I’m not proud of it.”

Dib frowned, “Red’s past, whatever it is, he’s done plenty to make up for it. All of us have done unspeakable things. Some more than others, but I refuse to allow any of us to dwell on those mistakes as long as we agree on the same goal now.”

Runa absently looked at her hands, remembering the blood. She quickly shoved that out of her mind and nodded, feeling Zetiya’s hand on her shoulder again.

“I’m not the one you need to prove your loyalty to.” Zetiya said to Red, “Domino’s the one you’ll need to convince. I ain’t gonna say how he’ll react to you savin’ him, but I’ll hope it won’t be with a knife to your throat.”

Runa finally broke free from Zetiya’s hand, “I’m going to check on Ace.” She said in a rush, leaving before anyone else spoke.

Zetiya looked bothered at that, watching her leave. “The last thing I want to see is that girl revert back to what she used to be.” She looked at Red again, “I don’t fully trust you, even if Dib does. After everythin’. I do hope that you’re not tryin’ to deceive that girl. Because I will gut you before you can blink.”

Red didn’t answer. He couldn’t answer. Zetiya had a good reason to not trust Red. She was Domino’s top official, his right-hand man and the one he trusted the most. She knew everything about Domino, especially his past. Of course, the gritty details of what Red and Purple used to do to him before he escaped the Empire wasn’t something that was kept secret. She was protective of Domino for good reason, and doubly protective of Runa. The Vort became Runa’s so-called mother, taking care of the girl while she was pregnant and a harm to herself and others. She was the one to help Runa become a real person and not just an empty shell that lived through orders. Zetiya hated how Red wanted to establish a connection with her surrogate daughter after five years of regaining his sanity.

There was no telling what Domino would do to him after this rescue mission.

“I’m not going to beg for your forgiveness.” He finally said after some time. “I did what I can to help this resistance, and I will always be in their debt.” He looked off towards the door, sighing. “As for her, my emotions for her are as honest as I trust them to be.”

Zetiya watched his posture, stepping around him and stopping at the door. “Dib, the sooner I get to that space station the faster we can rescue Dom. I’ll be preparin’ my tools.” She left then, leaving Red alone with Dib and Crux. The shirtless Irken was sitting with his legs up on the table, grinning and enjoying the show that was taking place.

“If it makes yeh feel better, Red, Zet didn’t trust me first either.” He eyed him evenly, “It takes almost killin’ yourself to save her kin, that’s what does it.” He rose an arm and pointed to a large scar on his abdomen. “I fuckin’ took one to the gut for loyalty.”

Red didn’t answer the scarred Irken, mostly because he knew far too well of Crux’s questionable past. He spent two years being under the Irken’s watchful eyes, two years being held prisoner until Dib deemed him worthy of a second chance. He couldn’t really call Crux a good friend, as the Irken held everyone at arms length unless it was Domino himself. Domino was the only person that could garner Crux’s full loyalty.

Domino, he come to learn, was practically the real leader of the Resisty, instead of the silent financial backer. Yes, Lard Nar and Dios were once the leaders, and before Dios came along it was mostly Lard Nar, a Vortian struggling to keep rations flowing for his gathering of Resisty members. When Domino came into the picture, Lard Nar was faced with the first Irken to come out as an Antemp. He only agreed to share his leadership with Dios under Domino’s words that their small gathering of Irken followers needed someone that understood their plight. Domino refused to take the role as leader, choosing to fund the Resisty secretly while managing his own planet full of nomads, traders and fugitives. While Red was leading Operations with his co-Tallest, Domino was bringing down crime organizations and freeing slaves.

Would Domino see past all the horrible things Red had once put him through and accept him as an equal? Their history was a dark and dirty one, and it didn’t get any better after Purple’s untimely demise. From everything he’s heard, Domino did his best to understand those who came to his door pleading for help, and asked for practically nothing in exchange for his protection. The question was, would he offer Red protection now that everything was different, or would he cast Red out without a single thought?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The translation is as follows: 
> 
> "This is Domino, Irken Leader of the Antemp Resistance. Time isn't on my side, this is a formal request for resistance. The insane part of the Empire has fully accepted the virus, and still has no knowledge that I have eluded it. However, as time passes my resistance grows weary and my partner becomes more aware of the truth. I plea onto my crew, my comrades, if you wish to save your planet then return me to my position. I trust you will understand when I say time is fleeting."
> 
> Taken from the Uryuomoco translator.


	4. Chapter 4

The missive arrived three days after the Empire’s formal request, addressed to Tallest Zim. Within the message, Dib requested a meeting with Zim in a lovely garden near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, as France was the only country that agreed to the meeting and promised to remain neutral. Even though the Massive had overtook the city of New York, Americans were just itching for a reason to attack.

The location left the rescue team a good two hours of time, while one of those hours were for travel to and from Zim’s space station.

Zetiya repaired the teleporter as quickly as possible two days before the missive was sent out, taking the remaining time to overwrite Zim’s influence on the space station to her own.

Red, Runa and Crux were waiting for the signal, the latter of the three strapped with an array of explosives.

“Right,” Zetiya ran them through the plan once more, “Runa and Red, you teleport first. Runa will cause a distraction in the upper levels to lure out the Irkens near the voot bay, givin’ Crux ample enough time to make it there so he can set up your trigger. Red, you lead Runa to the Tallest’s quarters and Runa will take care of the guards, as she’s the only one that the Irkens won’t question if they see her.”

Runa grinned, looking like a lime-eyed Irken soldier, a specific one that was once known as Rhas.

“The explosions in the voot bay will trigger the guards to hole Dom up in his rooms, and that’s where we move. You’ll have less than ten minutes to get him back to this station before we can break the teleporter and make the transfer.” She glanced at her screen for a moment, eyeing the security camera in the cafe front exposing Dib sitting with five armed guards, waiting patiently for Zim.

“I have a feeling he’s about to make a showy entrance.” Red deadpanned.

As if on cue, the camera shook, a ship landing in the distance that was big enough to hold a crew. Ten armed guards filed out before flanking Zim as he emerged. Thankfully, the area was cleared out ten hours ago, or there would have been a crowd.

Zetiya waited until the Irken made it towards Dib, shaking his hand. “Communicators on.” She ordered the three, “Team One, go!”

Runa was the first to teleport in, the chambers looking fairly empty. Her first reaction was to take out the security cameras, her eye flashing red quickly before all three began to spark and pop.

Once Red arrived she took a breath, holding up two fingers at him and pointing to the hidden door, making her way out the room and screaming at the top of her lungs.

“HEY EVERYBODY, THEY’RE GIVING AWAY FREE DOUGHNUTS AT THE SNACK HOLE!” She cried out, feigning excitement while everyone within earshot began to chatter and grow excited, the Irkens there alerting the Irkens nearest to them until there was a chain reaction and a flood of Irken soldiers stampeding to the food court.

Runa grinned and ran back to the room, passing Crux and winking at him, their hands signalling each other before they parted ways and Runa ran back to where Red disappeared to. The passageways were a tight fit, as they were designed for the Tallests themselves. She caught sight of Red from the dim system lights, signalling him and taking his hand before he led her down to where they’re supposed to be.

“Why couldn’t he have done this himself?” Runa whispered, “He should know this path.”

Red snorted, “The door that connects the private rooms to this passage is kept under genetic locking codes, the only way you can get past is by scanning your PAK. The security system works separately from the Massive’s internal unit just in case of a siege attempt is made.”

Runa frowned, “It’s been ten years, wouldn’t that have been updated to include him and shut you out?”

“Runa, Tallests have their PAKS reassigned if they make a Great Measuring without being killed in the process. That security system can very well allow Spork and Miyuki into the rooms if they weren’t eaten before our rule. I made it off the Massive just as Domino and Zim took over, so my chances of getting in are high.”

“That sounds like a giant security hole.” Runa commented dryly.

“Irken tech isn’t good tech.” Red admitted, “Hence why we stole most of our tech from Vorts.”

The end of the hall was coming closer, and Runa tugged on Red’s arm quickly. “Wait for Crux.” She hissed out.

Red eased his arm away and pressed his hand to the door, tapping the scanner. “Get ready, you have two guards to take out while I grab him.”

Runa nodded, pressing herself against the door.

The explosions were controlled, but quick. Five large explosions in the voot deck that had security on high alert, sirens broke out over the chaos and a lockdown code was enabled.

Runa could hear the Irkens scream and panic, those that weren’t soldiers were in a frenzy. She breathed heavily, watching Red connect his PAK into the keyhole, allowing it to register his title before it unlocked and allowed them through.

The door lead to a safe room, and at them were two exits, one leading to one Tallest’s room and another leading to the second.

“The guards are going to bring him here.” Red said sharply, “Be ready.”

Runa flexed her fingers, standing between each path.

The commotion was soft, getting louder with each step. A door opened and a guard stepped into the room, “You should be safe her--ERK!”

Runa put her arms around the Irken’s neck, holding him in a headlock and pressing down in a way that had the Irken fighting to keep conscious. She lowered herself to the floor and gently laid him aside when he was out, standing back up to see Red holding out a pistol at the second guard behind Domino.

“I’d think twice before calling for help.” Red growled, motioning towards Runa.

The guard didn’t really look all that concerned, her amber eyes gleaming while she shoved Domino over towards them. “I’ve never seen you.” Her voice was ghostly and hard.

Domino was still quite reeling over the fact that it was Red that was saving him, eyeing him uneasily.

“We don’t have time for pleasantries, let’s go.” Red put his pistol away, moving towards the hidden panel.

The Irken guard quirked her head to the side, taking in the sight of Runa as she joined them. “Shouldn’t you be looking after your son?” She questioned, quirking an antennae her direction.

Runa fell to a stop as the two began to walk, turning back at the guard with curiosity before Red’s voice had her hurrying after the two.

The Irken moved to shut the door behind them, “I guess I have to look after him as well.” She commented darkly, moving to the other guard and sitting down next to him.

“Crux should be halfway across Earth by now,” Runa said once she caught up to the two.

“We don’t have much time, Zim will be informed about this as soon as they realize I’m gone.” Domino said sharply, glancing back at Runa. “You’re the hybrid, aren’t you?”

She nodded, “Pleasure to meet you, Domino.”

The Irken managed an amused grin, “Love, we’ve met before. I have a feeling you’re a tad more lucid now than on Irk.”

“The same goes for Red.” She said, ignoring his scowl towards the former Tallest. She proceeded to sandwich herself between the Irkens and the wall, waiting for Red to unlock the passageway before shoving herself out of the door.

“I hope I don’t have to thank you for this.” Domino growled out as Red kept watch.

“If you’re thanking anyone, thank her. This was her plan.” Red answered back, keeping his eyes on the room. Runa quickly returned, knocking on the slightly opened door three times.

“It’s clear, everyone’s abandoned the control room.” She said in a rush, pulling Red out and shoving him to the controls. Her own pistol was out, and she stepped back into the passageway. “You’re the first in the teleporter, Dom. Zet is waiting on the other side and no one moves until Red makes it through.”

Red whistled in her direction when he was done with the coordinates, and Runa guided Domino to the teleporter and gave him a reassuring smile.

Domino was the first one back in the space station, his eyes falling towards the familiar Vortian female next to him. He flashed her a wry smile, “It’s so nice to see you again.” He said kindly, stepping out of the teleporter.

Zetiya took out a device and flipped it open, “I’ll be happy to rejoice after I’ve scanned your PAK, Dom.” She snapped her fingers, waiting for him to get in position before plugging it into his PAK, knowing exactly what to do. “Usin’ the Antemp language is good thinkin’, but I know you Dom. What possessed you to take such a risky move?”

Domino’s antennae twitched, “I’ll let you in on it when we’re a safe distance from the Massive.” He heard the device ring out a delightful tune, and Zetiya’s hand shoved him away.

Runa appeared then, stumbling out the teleporter without her disguise. She came into eye contact with Zetiya, looking bothered.

“Where on Earth is your disguise?” Zetiya almost shouted.

“Red has it.” She said quickly, grabbing something heavy and attacking the teleporter.

“RUNA!” Domino and Zetiya grabbed her, the taller of the two hissing as she cried out and tried to struggle.

“We’ve been made!” Runa shouted, scrambling out of Domino’s grasp. “Help me destroy the teleporter NOW!”

“What about Red?” Zetiya shouted.

“Red’s contacting Crux right now while he’s heading to the escape hatches, there’s no time anymore!” She slammed the blunt object right into the teleporter lens, continuing to sever it the best she could.

Domino watched her destroy the teleporter, a small woman with the strength of an Irken. He bit down on his hesitation and finally put his foot down. The plan failed.

“We have to leave immediately.” Domino ordered out, taking control of the plan. “Zet, ready the ship.” He grabbed Runa’s arm to pull her back, “Your plan was well thought out, but now we need to think about getting back to your base alive.” He reached over to ease the object out of her arms, pulling her along as Zetiya ran out. “They won’t have any trouble tracing the teleportation routes back to this station, and the Armada won’t take long to get their fancy asses out here.”

“Dib’s raised the alert,” Zetiya called out, “Seems like Zim evacuated the scene quickly.”

“He can’t chase both of us.” Domino growled out, “Have Crux take a swift detour after he picks up Red, we’re going to need a chaperone.”

“On it.” Zetiya pulled up Crux’s contact frequency, “Crux, do you have Red’s coordinates yet?”

_“Jus’ got em, Zet. Bastard shot himself out towards the Atlantic and I’m hopin that escape pod he’s in is waterproof.”_

Runa’s breath hitched at that, making her way up front, “Crux, get the fuck there as fast as possible, Zim’s heading back.”

_“On it, girlie. Toxic liquids don’t scare me any.”_

Zetiya flipped on the thrusters, making sure the door was securely shut before taking off. “I hope you are secure in here, Dom. I ain’t flyin’ pretty.”

Domino grinned, fastening himself in the back, “When do you ever?”

“At least I don’t drive like you.” She commented back, grinning as well. “Ru, hun, I’m gonna have you man the guns. I’m gettin’ three faint signals and they’re comin’ up fast.”

Runa cracked her knuckles, flipping her eyepatch away to reveal a red cybernetic eye with the Resisty symbol etched in the center. “You fly, I shoot.”

Zetiya sped up, taking her ship outwards towards Venus instead of Mars, leading the ships away from Earth before running them through an asteroid obstacle course.

“Three Armada ships coming up fast. Deploying missiles.” Runa shouted, her eye translating every Irken symbol on the screen as she made aim and let loose the missiles. She pulled up the rear feed, watching them hit the rocks, the debris from the asteroids acting as their own weapon as they shot out at the ships.

The ships managed to lose them for a moment, enough time for Zetiya to get out of the asteroid belt and come face to face with the ships.

“Five more Armada ships in range, Zet. Are you ready?” Runa quirked a brow, grinning.

“Let’s party.” Zetiya smirked.

The two worked magnificently in sync, Zetiya flying expertly while Runa deployed the lasers, and Domino watched them tango with the other ships, their battle like an exquisite dance that ended up leaving the enemy dazed and confused. Two ships met their end when they accidentally fired at each other, while one tried to keep close as he fired at the ship.

“Time to change it up!” Zetiya commanded, and suddenly their roles switched. Runa was now flying the ship, proving to be just as good as Zetiya as the vort took over the weapons. Domino’s eyes stayed on Runa, watching her concentration and smooth handling of the controls. She flew the ship like how she fought, with grace and dexterity.

The five ships that were once there were now ruins, but five more appeared to take their place, and Runa found that they were taking an entirely new tactic to their approach. “They’re surrounding us.” She noted.

“Don’t let them bully you, hun.” Zetiya said calmly, glancing over to see that Runa was panicking. “Hun, let’s change it--”

“I can do this.” Runa interrupted her, taking a breath before ramming on the throttle, charging at the ship in front of her and effectively making the Irken freak out before she managed to vier away in the nick of time, avoiding the circle and looping around them so Zetiya could fire at them.

 _“Good goin’ girlie, calvary’s here.”_ Crux’s voice blared through the ship as another flew into the area, firing at the Irken Armada soldiers.

Zetiya smiled, “Good to see you, Crux.”

“How’s Red?” Runa asked, ignoring Domino’s irritated wince.

 _“Cramped but he’s alive an’ kickin’. Now, let’s have some fun.”_  

Two on five was easier now that Crux was there, until another handful of Armada soldiers decided to join the game. Runa glanced at Zetiya and went tense, her eye flickering over the group. “Why aren’t they moving?” She asked Zetiya, watching them just hover there, poised at the ready.

Her answer came in the form of an incoming transmission. Zetiya looked back at Domino before taking the call. Zim’s visage came up on screen, his glare murderous and directed at Domino. “ _Nice little plan you had there, Dom. Did you really think your escape would go by without me knowing_?”

Domino growled at him, “Nice of you to join us, Zim.”

“ _Tallest Zim_.” The Irken corrected him, quirking an antennae. “ _I never trusted you to begin with, you know. Never trust a traitor to the Empire_.” He switched from Domino to Runa, looking her over and taking note of the eye. “ _Pity that you’re there, Runa-pet_.” He smirked playfully, “ _I really wanted to have my people crush this ship, but I suppose I can settle for a live capture_.”

Runa stared evenly at him, “Nothing’s going to touch us, Zim.”

He chuckled at the words, “ _You sound very sure of yourself, it’s unlike you, pet._ ” He cut the connection then, leaving Runa feeling twitchy and anxious. So that was how he was going to play it, she thought. He was going to play at her mentally like he used to.

“Ru, hun,” Zetiya could see her reaction.

Runa ignored it, “Crux.” She said into the com.

Domino watched her, his own antennae flattening.

 _“What’cha want, girlie?”_ Crux answered her.

“We’re taking them all down,” She said it hard, “ _No one_ leaves here alive.”

Domino could practically hear Crux’s insane grin, realizing just then that Zim had hit a nerve in the woman.

“Switch it up!” Zetiya grinned happily, taking over the flight controls. Runa’s hands maneuvered the controls, counting the ships. Ten ships.

Zetiya began flying fast, and Crux joined her. They looped around each other and startled some of the Armada out of their commands. Runa said nothing when she activated the missiles. The ships that didn’t expect the missiles barely got out in time, but only for a split second until they realized the missiles tracked them.

Eight.

The remaining ships finally began to attack, their commands coming from the Tallest himself as they realized that the Resisty ship wasn’t going to play along.

“Hold on!” Crux cackled at Red, who was strapped into the back and slightly bent over in the smaller area, however there wasn’t anything to hold onto and Red was practically thrown about while Crux targeted a ship and looped round its lasers, curving behind it and firing into the backside of the ship. He sped up dangerously, colliding with his target and taking out one of the rocket thrusters before shooting the other out.

Seven.

Domino lunged forward when Zetiya sped up, her ship holding up a couple of Armada that chased after her, she spun the ship dangerously, maneuvering it one way before faking out and taking it another, grinning when the ships didn’t expect the ruse. Runa guided her hands to the rear laser cannons, her eye flickering in delight when they hit their target.

Five.

Crux had two on his tail, dodging the gunfire from both ships and flipping down suddenly, heading up between the ships and laughing when their gunfire followed and ended up attacking each other.

Three.

“Crux.” Zetiya hinted out, one high on her tail while another was after Crux’s ship, they led the two Armada on a cat-and-mouse hunt, alternately taking turns maneuvering them and leading the targets closer and closer until they shot violently out of the way and causing the two ships to collide with each other.

One.

The last ship must have gotten orders to retreat, but Runa wasn’t going to allow his reprieve. “Switch it up.” She commanded.

“Just let him go, hun.”

“Switch it up, Zet.” Runa repeated herself, harder now. Zetiya finally allowed her to take control and Runa sped forward, chasing the ship towards Earth. “Put Zim on the line.” She said then.

Zetiya stared at her, “What?”

“Just do it!” She cried out, seeing nothing but red as she gained lead onto the Armada ship.

 _“Girly, are you nuts?”_ Crux’s voice was suddenly with her.

Runa wasn’t there anymore, off in her own bloodhunt, taking control of both controls and weapons as she fired on the ship. Zetiya didn’t say anything, pulling up the connection to the Massive while Runa activated the last two missiles. Zim’s image appeared just as the ship exploded, and Runa’s eye was flashing red, taunting him.

“ _Y--you killed my ships_!” He looked angry.

“You underestimated me.” Runa blew him a mocking kiss and shut the connection then, finally letting go of the controls. “Alright, let’s get back home.”

Domino stared at her, silent. He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. He sat back when Zetiya took control of the ship and joined Crux and Red, going back into the direction of Mars.

The ride back was quiet, and Runa could feel herself relaxing the closer they got towards the colony. Though, once they made it to the receiving chambers they could see the chaos unfolding. Smoke was billowing out of the main laboratory and aliens were hurrying in all different directions, everyone looking panicked and fearful.

Domino was the first to exit the ship, staring at the chaos. Runa followed him, her eye widened before one single thought flashed through her mind, “ACE!” She screamed out, running against the panicked aliens and fighting her way towards the compound.

“Runa!” Red was rushing behind her, the same thought having entered his mind.

Runa did her best to search for her son, her eye scanning the area before she could see Khan. She changed her direction, almost running into multiple people as she ran after the little Irken. “Khan!”

The voice made the scientist turn, and at the sight of Runa he looked pale and sticken. “Miss Runa!”

Red eventually caught up with her, “Where’s Ace, Khan?” He questioned the smaller.

“I--wh--you--he--” The Irken shook, and looked almost ill at the thought.

Runa went still, “Where’s my son?”

“Miss--You see...uh...well… Avery--” He forced himself to talk, “Avery broke out, Miss Runa--” He began, looking queasy.

Red had to take a hold of Runa, because she tensed up to the point of hauling ass out of there. “What happened, Khan?” He asked for her.

Khan looked mournful, “He took Ace with him…”

Something happened, clearly something happened, because Runa felt miles away from where she once was, and suddenly there was blood, lots of blood and it was on her hands and something was holding her down and she was screaming. Screaming horribly, at the top of her lungs, tears flooding her vision before everything went to black.


	5. Chapter 5

Domino was there when Runa woke up, dressed in his original attire of a violet robe with a gold sash. He kept his gaze on her even as she sat up, slowly registering that she wasn’t in a bed, but in a containment cube. She mumbled something to herself, pressing her hand to the cube.

“Why am I in here?” She asked him, doing her best to stay level headed when the memories were flooding in.

“You attacked one of your own, and attempted to fight your way back to the ship.” Domino said cooly, keeping a pretty good poker face given what had happened hours ago. “Red and I had to sedate you before you could do anything else drastic.” He kept himself a few steps back from the cube, as if getting closer would be dangerous. As if she was dangerous.

Runa looked around, shaking slightly. “Dib. Where’s Dib?”

“I have relieved him of his duties.” Domino answered, “He didn’t like the decision, but it was for everyone’s best interests.”

Runa’s eye flashed, and she glared at him, “My fucking brother took my son and you’ve _usurped_ Dib? He’s the fucking leader!” She was more upset about that than being locked up.

Domino narrowed his eyes, “Given his link to the current Tallest and his fondness for your child, I had to do what I did. I wasn’t going to sit still when chaos unfolded around my people and their leaders were having a mental breakdown!” He shouted, stepping forward now. “I wasn’t proud of having to restrain and lock away three of my finest members all because a _child_ was taken away.”

Runa stilled, “You--that is no CHILD, Domino!” She screamed, “That’s the first ever Meekrob-Irken hybrid in existence! That’s someone I have carried inside of me for eight months and allowed me to mature as a person. That’s someone who is more important than me, more important than you!” She glared at him dangerously.

Domino matched the glare, “I’m quite aware of what your son is, and his precarious position. I’m not about to lead my people into a premature battle with the Irken Empire just because they now have him! That’s what Zim wants, he _wants_ you to react harshly. He _wants_ you to destroy everything you worked for. Locking you away was for everyone’s safety, and locking Dib and Red away is for their own security!” He watched her steadily, “I will not lose everything and have you willingly give yourself away to the Massive.”

Runa felt pained, almost devastated. She understood why she had to be kept in a containment cube, she was a danger. She came to terms with that a long time ago, she was an emotionally unstable and a volatile force when provoked. But Dib, Dib had a cool head on his shoulders. Dib wouldn’t let something like this sway his decisions. Dib would be the leader that everyone else expected him to be and dealt with it with a sense of professionalism. Red…

“Release them.” She said finally. “Dib would never put his people in jeopardy. You’re underestimating him as a leader.” She tapped the glass then, “Red may also be Ace’s father but he would never give himself to Zim willingly, I ...trust his judgement.” She never thought she would ever say those words, but he deserved her faith.

Domino thought over the request, nodding solemnly, “After what you did for me, you deserve gratitude, so I will even out the score. I won’t be relinquishing my leadership, not now, but I will allow them limited freedom.”

She relaxed at the decision, smiling finally. Domino finally stepped away, thinking to himself. She hadn’t requested her own release, but the release of her friends. He kept that in mind as he left the room and proceeded his way down the halls.

* * *

 

Dib didn’t really like being put into a secure room with little explanation as to why he was being imprisoned. A few hours ago he was the one that was in charge, and while he understood that Domino was the actual leader, he didn’t expect that he’d be thrown into a room with Red, and two guards would be stationed outside to make sure they didn’t try anything funny.

Red didn’t seem all to shocked by the sudden move, mostly because he expected it long before they rescued Domino. He never liked Red to begin with, so of course Domino wouldn’t trust him. He questioned why Dib was in the same room, however, but never got an answer. Instead of pacing the floor, like Dib was doing, Red was sitting on one of the cots in the room, thinking about his family. He wasn’t worried about Ace in the slightest, because he knew that Avery wouldn’t harm a child. The man had gone through too much agony in his youth to take it out on a child, and Zim was Ace’s father, so that meant the Irken wouldn’t harm a hair on his head. Zim was evil, almost insane, but he wasn’t a monster.

He didn’t put up a fight after Domino had Runa contained in the spare cube they made, and while Red requested to be put inside with the woman, Domino refused to give him that, sending him to one of the holding cells with Dib. The human man put up one hell of a fight, but Crux, the one who was tasked to put them there, understood Dib’s unease about the decision and tried to talk him down in his own way.

“This is insane.” Dib finally spoke up, and Red turned to look at the man. “We shouldn’t be here, we should be forming some kind of a plan to get into the Massive and retrieve your son.”

Red appreciated the gesture, “Despite everything, I have a feeling that my son is perfectly safe.” His state of calm unnerved Dib to all hell, and he could see the human’s features cringe after Red spoke.

“I can’t believe you’re allowing this.” He groaned, “I can’t believe you’re just letting Domino push us around, after everything you’ve done to redeem yourself! You got him out of the fucking Massive for Christ’s sake!”

“Seven years of helping the Resisty won’t undo over twenty years of my past misdeeds, Dib.” Red reasoned, “He’s just as scarred as my mate is. Remember, Runa still doesn’t trust me.”

Dib’s face softened at that, “Second chances exist for a reason, Red.” He looked slightly guilty, “Domino may be biased but it doesn’t mean that people can’t change. You’ve done enough for this colony, you’ve helped me become a better leader and you’ve also trained many of the fighters! Fuck, Red, if Domino can’t see how different you are now, then he needs to learn how to let go of the past.”

Red laughed bitterly, “You’re one of those rare kinds of leaders that have sympathy, it’s a good trait to have.”

Dib smiled reassuringly, “It helps when you’re hopelessly in love with a psychopath. Sympathy is kinda needed.”

They sat in a thoughtful silence before a knock to the door shook them into attention, Domino appearing as it opened. He murmured for the guards to take their leave before stepping inside, “Congratulations, you’ve been given a reprieve.” He said calmly. “You’ll be allowed out of the cell and back to your homes, however your flying privileges are revoked until we solve this matter.”

Dib quirked a brow, “What’s with the change of heart?”

Domino leaned against the door idly, “A little fairy told me that I shouldn’t be too worried about either of you two escaping the colony to rescue her son.” He looked at Dib, “She told me you’re a good leader, and that she trusts you.” He switched his gaze onto Red then. “Given what she’s gone through by your hands, hearing that she trusted _you_ was shocking.” He said then.

Dib looked back at Red, his lips pressing into a thin line as he stepped away. “I’m going to go check on her…” He checked on Domino’s reaction and found nothing that refused his request, leaving the two alone in the room.

Red stayed on the cot, watching Domino. “Runa said she trusted me.” He repeated flatly.

Domino sneered at him, “She actually told me she trusted your _judgement_ , but it still left me with a bitter taste in my throat when I had to fulfill her request. She wanted _you_ out and free to wander around, not herself.”

Red looked completely shocked by the fact that the mother of his child had said that, and it was visible on his face that he didn’t know how to respond to that.

Domino chuckled at the reaction, “The female is quite interesting, given everything I remember about her before my reign as Tallest.” He commented, “She has such a curious appetite for violence that I’ve never seen before, the way she decided to obliterate an army of fifteen Armada ships so she could provoke the most ruthless Tallest in history.” He smirked then, “Now she is actually supporting a horrible Irken despite everything he has done to twist that pretty little brain of hers.”

Red stood up slowly, narrowing his eyes at him. “I’ve grown as a person, and she’s starting to realize that. Did Zetiya inform you about my hand in training Dib on how to be a leader?”

Domino snorted in amusement, “Zetiya mentioned how you’re trying _so hard_ to make up for your past transgressions. I, however, agree with her viewpoint. I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you, Red.” He pushed off the door and stepped closer to him. “It’s that female’s words that are keeping me from having you locked up for good, and right now, I’m not all that keen on allowing you to corrupt her further with your saccharine lies.”

Red’s antennae flattened. “What are you getting at, Domino?”

Domino extended a finger and prodded at the other’s chest. “Everything you touch is destroyed, Red. You destroyed me, you destroyed Zim, you destroyed Avery, you destroyed countless others, and you destroyed _Purple_. I’m not allowing you to destroy that female and her child.”

Red held himself back as soon as he mentioned Purple’s name, growling dangerously. “Don’t you dare mention Purple, Dom, and don’t you DARE bring Runa into your petty narrow-minded view of me.”

Domino removed his finger from Red’s chest and stepped away, “You of all people don’t deserve a happy ending, and I won’t let that happen.” He left the room then, whistling calmly and leaving Red to seethe angrily in the room.

* * *

 

It was a split-second decision that he didn’t regret in the slightest. When the sirens went off he knew it was his uncle deciding to take his leave, and he had promised to take the boy with him when he did. Ace knew what he was doing by leaving with his uncle. He was going to finally see the father he was lied to about. He was going to spend time with his uncle, who confided in the boy in a way that his mother refused to. He didn’t understand why his parents hadn’t wanted Ace to spend time with the other half of his family, but he was finally going to see them for himself. He was now going to meet his second father, and he was excited about it.

Avery showed Ace a kindness that he never expressed towards others. This boy was something special, despite the fact that his mother was a disgusting and horrible person and his other father was someone he wanted dead. The longer he gotten to talk with Ace, he realized that he was a smart boy. He knew more than his mother believed he did, and he was full of wonderful opinions and ideas and Avery could see himself in the boy. Well, the part of him that wasn’t sullied by memories of a horrible childhood.

“We’re almost there, pipsqueak.” Avery said to his nephew, smirking when he reached the borders of New York. The Massive was perfectly visible near the empire state building, looming over the abandoned buildings that were evacuated upon its landing. The city stood as a ghost town, because the mayor had decided it was in everyone’s best interests that his people were better off somewhere else while the Irkens invaded the city. Zim had allowed the citizens to flee, but was amused by the fact that the American military took up residence nearby, ready to strike when the Armada was given the go ahead.

Avery had Ace’s hand in his, the two of them stepping up to the massive blockade that his ship parked close to. The human soldiers looked conflicted at his presence, because no one in their right mind would approach the border willingly, unless they were one of those UFO obsessed freaks that were living in a group of tents outside of town.

One of the Armada soldiers caught sight of a Military human approaching Avery, and decided to step out to meet the hybrid. “He’s with us.” He said to the human gruffly, both soldiers exchanging a look before the human shrugged and backed off.

Avery could see that the humans and Irkens were getting along, under the given circumstances. He smiled cooly at the soldier and stepped behind Ace. “I have Tallest Zim’s son with me.”

The title seemed to shake the soldier into attention, and he looked down at the boy and grinned at the sight. He turned away then and murmured into a com, stepping back to the border to shout commands at the fellow soldiers in their native Irken. The humans looked shaken suddenly, getting into position before the Armada soldier held his hand out to quell the Military men.

It wasn’t long until a couple of Irkens arrived to escort Avery and Ace further inside, the soldiers watching on in awe as the word of the Tallest’s son was whispered around, spreading like wildfire. Avery snorted in amusement at the whispers, hearing them clearly in his head. “We’re close.” He told Ace, who kept quiet for the sake of being polite.

Ace’s eyes were glued to the Massive, which looked astounding, its size reaching past the clouds and looming over them like a giant structure, something he saw in video games when he would near the imposing boss battle. Compared to the Massive, he felt like an ant, a small bug that could be squished at any point in time. His awe of the structure further went into curiosity of what was inside, and he remembered all those sci-fi movies he used to watch with his father, and how Papa Red would comment on the UFO motherships and how he gloated that the Massive was far more impressive and mighty. He was going to step inside the ship that his father talked about, that his other father was in charge of.

He remembered his Papa calling him a Prince, many times, and it dawned on him that it was true - both of his fathers were Kings. He looked up at Avery then, his eyes wide.

Avery could hear his thoughts, and the small question that ended after them. He chuckled and reached down to ruffle the boy’s hair. “You love your ancient history, don’t you?”

Ace nodded, “Given the fact that my fathers are royalty--”

Avery nodded, “Irken history is much more complex and deep than Earth’s history, Ace. Royalty works differently with the Empire, and it doesn’t pertain to heirs and bloodline.”

Ace nodded, “But Tallests are still Kings, even if the title is different, even if it isn’t about bloodline at all but the height of the ruler.”

“Your father has taught you well on the basics, kiddo.” Avery forced a smile, “Wait until we get to the one that matters.”

Ace went quiet until they were lead inside of the Massive itself, and in the receiving area stood an advisor and two guards, flanking the eight point five foot Tallest of the Irken Empire, Zim. The sight of the towering figure was as imposing as Ace always imagined him, and he chanced a wave that was given an amused chuckle when Zim mirrored the gesture.

Any sense of laxness that Avery had vanished from his person completely, replaced by a stiff tenseness that had him standing at attention, his back straight and eyes forward, saluting his Tallest in the manner that someone did when they lacked antennae to wiggle. Ace, however, broke out into an excited run, leaving his uncle to launch himself at his father, who in turned caught him and laughed. It was almost a hallmark moment, if you didn’t consider that the father figure was currently planning a genocide on the human race.

Ace swung in his father’s grip and laughed, and started accosting him with millions of questions as soon as the greeting had subsided. Zim’s eyes widened at the miles-per-minute speech patterns of the child and laughed again. “Slow down, kid!” He reached down to ruffle his hair, something that Ace had grown accustomed to from every adult that he came across.

Avery stepped away to leave the Tallest alone with his progeny, only relaxing when he was out of sight of the taller Irken. He leaned against the wall after turning the corner, flexing his fingers idly and wishing he had a pack of cigarettes with him. He could hear Ace and Zim down in the main hallway, their voices becoming more and more distant.

“Having fun?”

Avery let out a startled cry at the voice behind him, his glasses falling slant across his face from the sudden jump, and he turned to the amber-eyed Irken guard staring him down. “Christ.” He adjusted his glasses and glared at her, shoving himself past her and further down the hall.

She smirked wryly, following him. “I see you caught the heir just as they rescued the Traitor.” She said playfully, her voice grating on his mind.

Avery’s eye twitched, “Leave me alone. Xan.”

The Irken continued to follow him, ignoring Avery’s words for her own amusement. “Are you quite aware that the Resisty has Domino back or are you finally happy to be back in your Master’s good graces?”

“I got what my Tallest requested of me, Xan. I did my job. Wherever the Traitor is now isn’t my problem, and I’m glad he’s gone.”

She smirked, “Honestly, Tallest Zim wasn’t even shocked that he managed to break free, however…” Her eyes glinted mischievously, “He didn’t expect his mate to take out fifteen of our Armada. Took the time to give him a lovely message afterwards, you know.”

Avery finally stopped, turning to stare at the Irken female. “Runa, or Dib?”

“Runa.” She said, enjoying the reaction on his face. Avery clearly looked unsettled, especially since his sister was known for her pacifism, especially after what He did to change that. Though, after Zim took control, she lost every ounce of her sanity and with that her pacifism, but it didn’t take away the agonizing guilt that came with every kill.

But if she destroyed Armada ships just to get a rise out of Tallest Zim…

“Christ.” He said again, running his hands through his hair shakily and starting up a brisk walk. “I need a fucking cigarette.”

Xan chuckled and followed him, “Those things aren’t healthy for you.”

He rolled his eyes, “I’m not a fucking human, carcinogens don’t affect me.” He stopped again, “Why on Irk are you following me?”

“You haven’t gotten the message, I take it.” She commented, folding her arms. “Tallest Zim has demoted me to being your babysitter, now that Domino’s gone.”

Avery paused, “What?”

She quirked her lips up into a grin, “The Resisty has already snuck inside to capture their valued leader, so he’s stepping up security to keep you in your place. I’m afraid you’re not allowed outside of the Massive now that you’ve returned.”

Avery opened his mouth, but shut it quickly, deciding to just return to his room. His Tallest was busy with his son, and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin the moment with his own petulant bitching. He endured Xan’s presence and her idle chit-chat until he made it to his quarters, barring her from the room before locking himself inside.

He flipped the lights on, tugging his hair just slightly with his free hand as he walked across the room to a shelf, popping open a hidden vault that kept three cartons of his cigarettes, ones that Zim had gotten him himself. The only place to get them was Earth, but Zim was more than a Tallest, he was also a scientist, and a damn good one. He managed to duplicate the addictive and cancerous tools, even making his own wrapping emblazoned with the irken symbol.

He didn’t really know why Zim went all that way to make Avery something that the hybrid had gotten used to enjoying, but the Tallest made the excuse that it wasn’t even hard at all. He told him it was for his loyalty, a gift to Avery for being such a good pet.

Zim always took good care of his pets.

Avery was loyal to his Tallest for a reason. After everything, after all that he’s been through, Zim proved himself to be worth his loyalty. He accepted the Control willingly, there wasn’t any force or blackmail, there wasn’t veiled threats or ultimatums. Despite their past, despite the fact that Avery hated being under someone’s thumb, Zim had done what no one could.

Zim didn’t abandon him.

Avery was left all alone in the palace upon the escape from Irk. His sister fled, Dib fled, Gaz fled, everyone, even Tallest Fucking Red, fled the planet and left Avery alone in his agony and pain. He was possessed by his own rage, blinded with the hatred of those that had wronged him. He was also captured, but he wasn’t a prisoner.

Zim was the only one who dared to confront him amidst Avery’s rage. The only one who managed to talk him down. Zim promised him retribution, and only asked for trust. Avery was a shell of himself at that time, and couldn’t trust himself much less anyone else. He knew Zim was tainted, and Domino wouldn’t have anything to do with the hybrid. Zim was always eccentric, always an oddity, and he somehow put up with Avery’s fragile state of mind, helping the man as best as he could between his own duties. For some reason, Zim treated Avery with sympathy, as if the mutual hatred they shared long before had never existed.

He once asked him about it, one day as the final repairs to the Massive was being done, because Zim was driving Avery crazy by being so doting. Zim only met him with one of those stares, like the answer was entirely obvious even though it wasn’t at all.

_“Why do you question Zim?” His Tallest asked._

_Avery glared at him, “You did your best to make it known to everyone that you hated me, and now you’re being...this.” He gestured to Zim as a whole. “Forgive me for being the cynical untrusting person I naturally know how to be, because I know you’re doing this for some hidden underhanded reason or some kind of sick enjoyment of watching me in pain.”_

_“Zim has no ulterior motive in any of this!” He looked offended, as if the answer was some bright fucking neon sign that was over his own head. “You honestly don’t realize why I see you differently?”_

_Avery looked tired, “Yes, Zim. I honestly don’t know.”_

_Zim sat down next to the hybrid, smirking. “Avery is like Zim, that’s why.”_

_The man quirked a brow, still in his cynical state._

_“Since you were a smeet, you’ve been underestimated and used, this man, this Zachariah-human, he has been your Tallest. You’ve dealt with a long line of torment, mental and physical, and come out of it with a thick skin and a thicker ego.” He nudged the man with his elbow, “Such as Zim. Zim, from day one, was played around with like a human dog, put through countless trials and horrible humiliation, only to come out of it tougher and stronger. Avery is Zim, and it’s taken me until recently to realize how similar we are.” He waited for a reply, going on when Avery couldn’t think of one. “Everyone has abandoned you, just like how everyone had abandoned Zim, but I refuse to allow myself to repeat my former’s mistakes. This is why I’m promising you retribution, Avery.” He grinned, “When everything is in place, you will get what you deserved from everyone who has ever crossed you. I will allow you to put Red’s head on a spike and allow you what you were never given, what we were never given: a choice.”_

_Avery still didn’t know how to respond to that, looking away suddenly. “That’s why you just want my trust…”_

_“I respect loyalty, Avery. I will make sure it is rewarded.”_

The memory was still fresh in his mind, how a while after that, Zim and Avery formed some kind of kindred friendship between a Tallest and his servant. Avery had seen Zim differently since that day, since the truth was made known to him. He no longer resented the Irken, and grew to trust him with his life. He also grew to hate everyone else, Runa, Dib, Gaz. He hated them for abandoning him, for not returning for him. For all they know, he could have been tortured, or killed, but the only one to even care about his well being was Tallest Zim.

He knew the difference between truth and lies, after being through everything he’s been through, and even though Zim was always one to put up a good lie, this was as honest as he ever seen the Irken. The question of loyalty was an obvious one that he finally decided on, and he gave his allegiance to the Empire two years later, in a coliseum surrounded by hundreds of Irkens, his proof was a nameless Resisty member, killed in cold blood before the eyes of his Tallest. Zim had helped him with that as well, helping Avery hone his Meekrob abilities to be more lethal than they used to be.

He was one of them now, a hybrid with the mark of the Irken Empire on the nape of his neck.He was offered to be an advisor, but Avery turned down the job, despite how it would mean he’d be at Zim’s side more than not. He didn’t like being in the spotlight, he enjoyed blending into the background - as much as you could do when you were a single humanoid entity among millions of Irkens.

His thoughts were interrupted by a visitor, breaking Avery from his reverie and the fact that he hadn’t even taken a drag on the already burnt out cigarette that he lit up minutes ago. He flicked it into the tray in front of him and sighed, standing up and answering the door.

Avery quirked a brow to Zim’s presence, looking out into the hall and seeing there wasn’t a smaller hybrid at his side. Xan had also made herself scarce. “Where’s pipsqueak?” He asked.

Zim shrugged, “He fell asleep, apparently the kid was up all night before you stole him away,” He managed a grin, “Uncle Avery.”

Avery stepped away, wordlessly allowing him entrance and going back to his seat. “I take it you’re a proud father, then?”

Zim chuckled and followed him, “Yes, yes, Ace is as amazing as Zim, a little spitfire like his mother.”

“You know my opinions on you mentioning that woman in front of me.” Avery said warningly, looking away when Zim shrugged helplessly and nonchalantly settling himself next to Avery. “I made the mistake of not taking a pack of smokes with me, I’m really--”

Avery’s voice was cut off when Zim crushed their mouths together, the taller Irken overpowering the hybrid instantly and shoving him back on the couch. Avery almost attempted to shove him but a hand firmly grasped in his hair, tugging on it as a warning while Zim licked his mouth open. The strangled sounds that came out of Avery seemed to drive the Tallest further, leaning over the hybrid bodily while his free hand palmed between Avery’s legs. The Irken grinned wolfishly after feeling the half-hard organ under the fabric, breaking the kiss only so Avery and him could breathe.

“Strip.” Zim commanded, licking along the hybrid’s neck and taking in his flushed features. Avery was breathing hard, his hands tugging at his own clothes before Zim became impatient and went about doing the job for him, almost tearing the fabric as he ripped the clothes off of Avery.

“Christ, hold on!” Avery shoved himself away so he could get his pants off himself, managing to make his way towards the bed and turning just in time to see Zim expelling himself of his armor.

“If you took any longer I was tempted to go to Mars myself and break you out.” Zim hissed out, launching himself on Avery once he was free of his own restraints, shoving him back onto the mattress and attacking his throat.

Avery groaned, raking his nails along Zim’s shoulder when the Irken reached down under his boxers, “Fucking Christ, Zim--”

“ _Tallest Zim_ , to you.” The Irken quipped before taking his mouth greedily, his hands having found what they wanted and going about slowly pumping him. Avery shuddered from underneath the Irken whimpering and writhing underneath the other and only breaking the kiss to gasp for air, pressing their lips together again desperately.

Zim was teasingly slow with what he did, and he knew it drove Avery crazy. He wanted it that way, because the slower he got, the more frustrated Avery became. He was playing Avery’s body expertly, his PAK legs extending from behind him and moving to pin the hybrid’s arms down. Avery made a noise of disapproval but Zim only purred in response, going about shedding Avery of his undergarments before spreading his legs apart.

There wasn’t any more words to fill the void between them, only harsh breathing and the sounds of pleasure when Zim worked his other fingers inside of Avery, eliciting an eager moan while the man’s hips arched up to meet the brushes to his prostate. Zim’s own slick organ was ready and waiting, switching places with the fingers after another whimper from the hybrid egged him on.

“Ffffuck.” Avery hissed out when Zim slid himself fully into the man, his eyes shutting briefly as he took in the slick and thick alien cock in his ass. Zim chuckled breathily and thrust himself into him again, going as slow as possible for as long as Avery could take it.

“Tight as ever.” Zim grinned, dipping down to bite his neck and leave a burning mark, one of the many marks he made along Avery’s skin over the past five years to claim the hybrid as his own. Avery could only join Zim’s thrusts with the movement of his own hips, the lazy and slow fucking that he was so used to making him slowly melt into the bed. Zim could play with him all day and wouldn’t be sated, but at the same time he could drive Avery into multiple orgasms as long as Zim hadn’t had his own. That’s how they worked, and that’s how Zim wanted it. He wanted Avery’s body tailored to his own ministrations, perfectly molded to Zim’s needs. It was a carnal desire that was long in the making, and once Zim finally captured Avery in his vexing gaze, there was no separating the Tallest from his pet.

“Z-Zim- _My Tallest_ \--” Avery breathed, nearing his first wave of completion, because Zim never stopped at the first climax. Oh, he did at one point, but slowly he trained Avery’s body for more and more, because an Irken took longer to be sated than it took a human, and Zim wasn’t going to be happy with a half-hour’s play.

If Zim could go any slower, Avery was probably feeling it, but he didn’t care, he was becoming undone under Zim’s possessive grasp, his fluid movements and his intense gaze. His breath hitched when he hit his first climax, his mouth meeting with the Irken’s again as Zim worked right through Avery’s orgasm and primed him for another. Avery had come to terms with the lengthened period of being stuck in one place to please his Tallest for more than three hours, remembering one wild night when Zim wanted to defile him for hours inside the Massive’s control room before the construction was over. They left a mess for the drones to clean up afterwards, and Avery was forced to be as quiet as possible, while Zim did his best to break the rule he enforced upon the other.

Everyone knew what Avery was to Zim, because Zim never hid away his interest towards Avery, especially when he was within groping distance of the other. Zim wanted everyone to know who Avery belonged to, who Avery’s body was loyal to, and on some occasions, he took advantage of his position as Tallest and made sure to remind everyone that Avery was his favorite pet. Because in reality, Zim had more than one pet, but Avery was the one that Zim liked the most. Dib and Runa had been out of favor with Zim for a long time, but they still belonged to the Irken. Irkens weren’t monogamous in the slightest.

Avery had been a puddle of raw emotions for three hours, and Zim was finally speeding himself up, which meant he was close to his own orgasm and wanted to make sure Avery would feel it. The PAK legs had finally recoiled back into Zim and Avery was clinging to him desperately, his moans and whimpers becoming more erratic with every intense thrust. Zim growled dangerously, kissing Avery posessively as he practically fucked Avery with reckless abandon, the hybrid’s legs already hooked around the Irken’s hips to feel the most of Zim’s passion.

The orgasm came with a ragged cry from Avery, the intensity of the movements enticing one last orgasm from his pet before Zim pressed himself as far as he could and rode out his own blinding climax. Zim couldn’t help the boneless feeling that entered his body afterwards, slumping against Avery finally and letting out a tired groan. Avery’s eyes were already closed, and long ago he taught himself to ignore how dirty and in need of a shower he felt. They lie there entwined until one of them came back to consciousness, leaving the other to go about their normal tasks.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took me long enough.
> 
> I know how to end it, just be patient. It's gonna get there eventually.

Dib continued his quest to get Runa out of the containment cube, though he only had Red and Zetiya on his side. Poor Khan was the one that met Runa’s primal reaction, and he was still in the medical bay being monitored by his brother. He didn’t feel ready to release Runa from her confines, and Adon was vehemently against it.

Zetiya, try as she might, couldn’t get Domino to change his mind. She even offered to look after Runa, but Domino told her that she was needed elsewhere. Dib’s view of Domino was going downhill quickly, but he was demoted and had little to no power to counter his decisions. Red, however, did his best to stay at Runa’s side, because she needed comfort and someone familiar. They both needed it, actually, as every day without Ace at their sides hurt them in a way nothing else could. Domino didn’t like allowing Red near her, as the loss was driving the two closer together and the urge to protect the hybrid was twisting in his gut like a knife. What kept Red from being barred to see Runa at all was the fact that it was an inhumane thing to do to Runa, as he was one of three people that visited her, and not even Zetiya would consider doing such a thing.

Time wasn’t on their sides, and they had less than three months to think of a game plan. Zim always made good on his threats, and he wasn’t hesitant about ending the human race. He was torn between two options. Stay and fight, and evacuate everyone. Both options were horrible, as staying and fighting wasn’t even an option. The Empire had the advantage, and they were on Earth. Getting together all of Earth’s military was something that was going to take longer than he had, and while it would match their numbers, the inexperience of the humans wouldn’t put a dent in the Irken’s superior tech.

Evacuating Earth and Mars was the hardest option, even though he knew Membrane had built a ship for that very emergency, and hid it among plain sight. Getting the humans into the ship was the problem, as there were more humans on earth than Irkens in the Empire. Membrane was still on board for that decision, and told Domino himself that he had a perfect plan to make it all smooth as possible.

The last option was the one he refused to think about. They wanted Runa, the lone Meekrob female that can breed and was compatible with Irken biology. She was the Empire’s goal and Domino refused to entertain the thought of allowing them to claim her. She was the key to winning this war, as was her brother and her son. The Empire had most of the cards, but Runa was the most valuable one. Avery was already lost to them ages ago, having willingly sided with the Empire after Zim manipulated his bitter resentment for everyone around him. Ace was the anomaly, the innocent. He could go either way, and while the Empire had him, he was as good as neutral. A bond between a mother and her child went far deeper than anyone knew.

He didn’t know how he had gotten back to the laboratory, watching over Runa as she slept. They provided her with a basic mattress and blanket, curtains draped around the cube to allow privacy. He didn’t think she’d request to make herself comfortable, and chuckled slightly at the sight.

The sound of amusement didn’t pass by unnoticed, and she shifted in her bed, turning to stare at him sleepily. He knew she could hear his thoughts, she evolved her abilities far enough to warrant telepathy just like her brother. He managed to hide his secrets from  _ him _ , but this one…

_ “I’m sick of running.” _ She weighed in on his thoughts, slowly sitting up. He stepped forward carefully, opening the curtain to duck inside it until he was visible to her.

“We’ve had to abandon one planet already.” Runa continued, speaking clearly. “Everyone was so broken when they left Retriste, people had to flee their homes, their families were torn apart in the mess of things.”

He remembered his planet, the planet he created to home people that were fleeing from the Empire. He remembered building The Casbah from scratch, the trouble he got into during. It was the same time he found Crux, and how Zetiya didn’t trust the Irken and threatened to leave, until Crux defended one of his employees with his own life. He never thought he’d be there to see it a shell of its former glory, a husk of a planet that was cleared out in the midst of panic. It was haunting, how his beloved planet was no longer a planet, but a wasteland made by the Empire.

Runa could see his memories, smiling sadly from what he once had and lost. “Running away will never solve anything, Domino.” She said quietly, “I’ve run away my whole life. We ran away from our home when we were children, we kept running to keep ourselves safe. When we thought everything wouldn’t get worse, we were sucked into Zim’s insanity and made to discover the harsh reality of our pasts, the pasts we fought so hard to stay away from. Running shows weakness, Domino. It shows that you’re scared of an unknown outcome. If I were you, I’d lead the call for everyone to join us and fight. Humans are tougher than you think they are, and if given direction, they can do amazing things.” She smiled slightly, “Look at Dib, and how he managed to keep your people safe while you were gone.”

He considered her words, staying still. “I’m not letting you become part of this war, Runa.”

She fixed him with a steady glare, “These are my people too, I won’t just sit by and do nothing.”

“I can keep you in here as long as I need to, hybrid.” He warned her, pausing briefly when images flashed through his head, the cube shattering easily from her touch, like it was nothing but basic glass. He watched her carefully, and she tilted her head with a challenging smile.

“You can’t contain what isn’t willing.” She said then.

_ “There’s one way to win your war, and that is through contract.” _ A voice, a different voice, thrust itself into his head.  _ “The stronger the contractor, the better the hold. It’s the perfect opportunity.” _

Domino’s eye twitched at the voice, looking around the room. It was clear that they weren’t alone, and when he looked back at Runa he could see she felt it as well. However, the hybrid didn’t look all that concerned, which was slightly disturbing. He fell into high alert, feeling for the daggers that he kept inside his sash. “Show yourself.” He called out to the being, ready to attack.

Runa could very well see the faint shimmer in the corner, easing her eyepatch off to allow her cybernetic eye to scan who exactly stood there. Humanoid, female. The more she stared at the shimmer, the more she remembered the brief moments she and the human female spent in each other’s company. Realization dawned on her face and then a chuckle filtered into the room.

“Dib’s sister.” Runa said immediately, freezing Domino in his place. Ugly realization formed on his own face at the memory of that scary female, his eyes narrowing towards the direction Runa was staring in while his fingers gripped on the hilt of a dagger.

“Of all the people.” He bit out, finally seeing the human reveal herself. She was like a paranormal force all on her own, a simple human that knew things that her kind feared to learn about. An expert in black magic and things that were beyond normal human comprehension. Coupled with her intelligence, she was a force to be reckoned with.

“You’ve grown.” Gaz said towards Runa, quirking a brow, “You’re self aware now, which is a good thing.”

“What are you doing here?” Domino demanded, “This place is restricted!”

Gaz ignored the question and stepped towards him, “It’s good to see that you weren’t a victim of circumstance.” She said to Domino, “You do realize it’s stupid to think that you can contain her in a plexiglass box, do you?” She stared at him evenly, taking amusement in his irritation.

“What do you expect me to do, human? If you haven’t noticed, we don’t really have the ideal Vortian tech that the Empire does.” He gestured to the entire room, all Membrane’s work, a highly intelligent human that made machines that rivalled Irken tech.

Though, Irken tech couldn’t compare to Vortian tech, nothing could.

Gaz ignored her father’s machines, “I’ve studied up on the Meekrob race, Domino. I’ve learned something very important. The tales of Earth, the ones dating back to the eighteen hundreds, depicting demonic entities and the like? They were actually Meekrob. Aliens and demons are the same, and it puts everything into perspective, you see.”

Runa slowly remembered something, nodding in understanding. “You told Avery that we were demons.” It was a vague memory, a fleeting one between having to deal with her deteriorating sanity and Zim’s carnal desires. She never really paid attention to her brother during that time, did she? How Avery was dealing with his life being turned into chaos. All he had to lean on was Dib at that time, but she really wouldn’t have been able to support him. She was so different back then, so meek and pliable, a shell of a person that allowed herself to be controlled.

She wondered if that was why he attacked her.

Gaz was amazed that the girl even noticed that one detail, “It explains why the blood contract was so effective. Demons had this long history of rituals that summoned them and used human blood to make pacts to gain power. It was in reality, humans making contracts with Meekrob to utilize their powers, though as Meekrob were powerful and unstable, it always ended with those humans losing their minds and dying a horrible death. Humans weren’t made to handle that much power.”

Domino folded his arms, sighing. “Where are you going with this little history lesson?”

“Disrupt my train of thought again and I’ll remove your remaining fingers.” She snapped quickly, effectively shutting him up. “Zim knew how to reign in a Meekrob when he found out what exactly he was dealing with. The biggest problem, however, was that Runa was horribly unstable, ten times more unstable than she is now. It didn’t help that he was a little insane to begin with, so that’s two strikes against him. When he decided to double his luck and take Avery into a contract, it was more of the same thing. The Zim you’re dealing with now is the Zim who thought he was strong enough to handle tremendous power, and has become even more insane than he used to be.”

She passed Domino and stopped at Runa’s containment cube. “You,” She looked at Runa, “You’ve managed to stabilize yourself enough to be less of a danger to anyone who contracts with you.” She turned around towards Domino, “And you. I’ve learned about you.” She smirked, “You have had a history worse than Zim had gone through, however you have an amazing hold on yourself. You’re mentally sound and have yet to slip like the Irkens you’ve dealt with.”

Runa looked at Domino again, then at Gaz. “You’re suggesting I contract myself to him.” She said aloud, becoming bothered by the suggestion.

“Both of you are compatible enough for it to succeed.” Gaz said in finality, “It will give you an upper hand in fighting Zim and taking him down.”

Domino looked at Runa, catching her eyes. They held each other's gaze before Runa broke it, the woman glaring down at Gaz.

“I’m not comfortable with allowing someone to control me again.” She said then, “I’ve done it once already and I’m not going to do it again.”

“I thought Meekrob were more unstable the more powerful they were.” Domino brought up his own concerns. “You’re implying that she’s more stable while still being unstable.”

Gaz couldn’t be any more annoyed, “Her power is unstable, but she’s become better at controlling it.” She growled out, glaring at the both of them. “If you don’t do this, all of you are doomed to die.” She gestured to the entire room, “Everyone, you, your brother, Dib, your  _ son _ ,” She emphasized the last word, staring directly at Runa. “Contracting yourself to this one will be far different than having done it to Zim. For one, Domino isn’t out to use your power for his personal gain. His concerns are for the people he’s protecting, for Earth. It’s also your focus. You want to protect everyone, you want to protect your son.”

Runa bit her lip hesitantly, looking at Domino again and feeling uneasy. “How about Red?” She asked then, causing the Irken beside her to stare at her incredulously. “Red is better than he was before, I’m sure he could--”

“Red isn’t as strong as Domino,” Gaz interrupted her, “He’ll easily fall back into his old habits.”

Domino scoffed, slightly offended from the hybrid’s suggestion.

Gaz sighed, “My time here is running out, I have to go.” She glared at both of them, stepping back. “For your sake, I hope you do what is best for everyone.”

“Where are you going?” Runa questioned, putting her hands on the glass. “What about Dib? He would love to--”

“It’s not important, and as far as Dib’s concerned, I was never here.” Gaz said then, vanishing back into that telltale shimmer until there was nothing at all.

Domino blinked, looking back at Runa and seeing her confusion and apprehension. She realized he was staring at her then, chancing to meet his eyes. It was on their mind, the obvious question hanging over them, but Domino refused to say anything.

“I’ll allow you some time to think it over.” He said finally, deciding to give her privacy.

* * *

 

Under the given circumstances, it was something he needed to do. It was a good way to vent out his frustrations about his situation, and he had so much pent up frustrations, most of them concerning a certain violet-eyed Irken with a smug grin and too much ego.

He intercepted Crux at the cafeteria, the only Irken on the Resistance planet that he had a camaraderie with, and he hated to admit the male was the closest thing to a friend he had right now, despite how the scarred Irken insisted that they weren’t. In some way, however, Crux understood his frustrations, agreeing to spar with him in the training camp. He never turned down a chance to fight, and he never held back. Red was thankful for that aspect, because he wanted a fair battle.

It felt good, being able to drain out your anger with violence. Fighting with Crux was better than the alternative, but he wasn’t allowed in any of the ships for what he really wanted to do. This way, he wasn’t throwing himself in the face of danger and risking his own life because he wanted to rip Zim’s head off.

It wasn’t long until the dirt mixed with his blood, with their blood, as Red recalled his own Irken Elite training and Crux brought forth his own moves he stole from other soldiers. They were evenly matched, which was another reason why Crux was a better sparring partner than any, aside from the fact that the Irken never took any shit from his former Tallest and treated him like any other Irken. Red was just Red, not ex-Tallest Red, not the man who once led his people into an insane repopulation plot that almost destroyed his sanity. He wasn’t the spoilt little Tallest Elect that plotted with his partner to torment and abuse the third Irken who did his best to isolate himself. Crux never treated him like the monster he once was, even though it was on the forefront memory that everyone else had. That Domino had, that Zetiya had. Dib, despite his reassurances and faith in him, couldn’t undo the scarring damage that Red had done to most of the Resistance, who fled the Empire because of his selfish actions. Not everyone accepted the reformed Red, not everyone could see past the countless number of years when he was Tallest Red. Not even the one person he cared about, who carried his progeny for eight months and was lied to for ten years so she wouldn’t discard the child.

It was the darkest secret he had, that Ace was also Zim’s child. There was no proof that Ace had two fathers, and there was no possible way that it could ever happen. It was Dib’s idea, as he knew at once that if Runa, given her state at the time, knew that her child was 100% Red’s child, she would abandon the smeetling and have nothing to do with him. She was still under the sick belief that Zim could do no wrong, that despite the hard evidence, Zim wasn’t evil or insane and he could still be redeemed. He hated having to lie to her, but it had to be done. She needed Ace, she needed something to ground her. Taking care of that child put her whole existence into perspective, kickstarted her growth into becoming a person.

He never knew he could feel actual emotions towards anyone. Emotions weren’t an Irken concept. Irkens thrived from animalistic natures and the need to conquer. There wasn’t any room for things like guilt, sadness, envy, love. It was like a shock to the system, and he realized why Domino was so staunchly against the Empire: because the Empire didn’t allow freedom to think, freedom to feel. They controlled their populace as they controlled the rest of the universe, with a cold and calculating grip. Being on the outside of the Empire was a culture shock, something that for the first time, made him feel so vulnerable. Feeling what he was feeling was scary for the first five years, especially when he realized he was becoming horribly attached to the one woman who hated him more than anything.

Love was frightening. It made you exposed and fragile, it was a heavy emotion that weighed him down. He never really thought that he’d one day be trying to make up for the pain he inflicted onto another. He never thought he’d actually  _ care _ . It was an emotion that hurt him, when the woman would look at him with such ire, or speak around his presence, how she would declare how much he was a bastard, a villain, a man who didn’t deserve a second chance. He put up with her hatred for ten years, not allowing it to beat him down like it should have. He forced himself to charge through it to earn back the trust of those who had faith in him, hoping that one day, she’d finally see through her hate and maybe loathe him a little less.

Ten years, it took ten years of constant contact and honest apologies and back-breaking work to reach an apex where Runa began to finally relax around him. He noticed it instantly, at the theme park before Zim made his reappearance. She let her guard down, ignored her hate and began treating him like a normal being. As if he was an actual person and not the monster he used to be. She had relaxed enough that at one point, she allowed him to hold her hand. Even though she denied it later on, it was already sealed in his memory, printed onto a photo that he kept on himself at all times. How at one time, he and Runa and Ace acted like a real family.

Though, if she knew the truth, that Ace had no ties to Zim at all, would it be taking a step backwards?

Worse yet, if Zim himself learned the truth, would he become that monster and destroy something that never deserved it to begin with?

The tension of that horrible secret weighed down on him every day, and now that Domino was around, throwing his authority around as if Dib hadn’t done anything for Mars, proclaiming his loathing for Red and promising to rip him and Runa apart, Red had no choice but to fight off his frustrations in the best way that didn’t involve him charging into The Massive and raging war on Zim.

Red stopped lunging at Crux with his knife just a hair’s width from the other’s eye, recoiling after having paused for a moment of recollection. He said nothing as he left the arena, and Crux didn’t say a word to stop him. Both Irkens were damp with sweat and blood, and Red ignored the suspicious stares from others as he made his way back to the large complex he lived in. Living alone was a gift and a curse, keeping him isolated from enemies as well as those he cared about. It was for the best, Dib had told him after showing him the mansion. He wondered if he did it hoping that Runa and Ace would move in one day...

Red entered his house quietly, but his antennae twitched once the door shut. He tightened the grip on his knives and aimed them, glaring at the faint shimmer standing near his kitchen.

“Assassin, I take it?” He growled.

“Put those down before you hurt someone.” The girl’s voice sounded irritated. Gaz stepped forward, unafraid of Red’s weapons. “You need to know that your son is perfectly safe.” She said then, staring hard at the male. “Zim won’t find out about his secret.”

Red froze, staring at her incredulously. “What?”

“I don’t have time to introduce myself to you or convince you if I’m telling the truth or not. Just know that the boy is in good hands.” She continued to step closer, stopping in front of him. “Your mate is going to do something dire to save the universe, and I know you will try your damndest to stop it. I intend to see this through. Don’t get in the way of Runa and Domino.”

Red went defensive immediately upon hearing their names, “WHAT?”

“I will warn you once, Red. If you try and stop it then your son and mate will probably be killed if it doesn’t happen. Trust Domino for once, don’t get petty.” She stepped away then, her image reverting back to a faint shimmer.

Red stared slack-jawed at the shimmer and glared hard at the area after she had disappeared. Her words were still prominent in his mind but the biggest concern was Runa. Why would that woman tell him all of that? What was his mate about to do?

Red turned around and left the house, making his way towards the labs.

* * *

 

Domino had been away for a while after Gaz had left the facility, leaving Runa alone in the containment cube to think about the proposal and everything about it. She never thought she’d be faced with the blood bind again. Not after the last time when she had done it with Zim. Back then, she wasn’t given a choice in the matter, and she practically lived in Zim’s insanity during. She had killed and blindly allowed herself to be molested over and over again, and at that time she didn’t even know what sex was. But now she was given a choice, and her contractor would be an Irken that was determined to save his people and not another who wanted revenge. The problem was, still is, that their sanity would be tested. Was Gaz right? Was she stable enough to handle it now? So many things could go wrong, but it was their biggest chance to defeat Zim. Domino didn’t give her any indication of his own feelings towards the proposal, but she knew he’d go through with it. She heard enough stories from Zetiya about what he did for his people. Domino was a selfless and sane Irken with strong ambitions and did what he could for the sake of others. If they went through with this, she would be closer to him and would have a chance to defend those she loved.

She wondered how Red would react. Him and Domino had a horrible past, but Red had tried so hard to make up for his recent transgressions. She stopped herself quickly, wondering why she was wondering about Red. She remembered hating him... but...

Ace did his best to see her with Red, and Dib tried his hardest to get her to see him differently. Ever since the Theme Park, she had begun to let him in. Little by little. Red wasn’t the bloodthirsty Irken she once knew him to be. He wasn’t the leader who was driven insane by his partner’s death. He was better now, reasonable and kind. He wanted a future with her, which she still couldn’t understand. Irkens weren’t emotional beings, were they? Or did being outside of the Empire’s control give him freedom from those restraints?

The only feelings she ever experienced from Red were lust and possession, and now she was being given love, kindness, understanding, emotions that not even Zim had.

Maybe it  _ was _ the Empire’s lack of influence that was causing it, there wasn’t any other explanation.

Runa kept thinking about her decision carefully, not hearing the commotion from outside the laboratory. Only when someone burst through the door did she snap out of it.

“You’re not allowed in here!”

“I refuse to allow anyone to keep me from her!”

“Domino will--”

“I don’t fucking give a shit what  _ Domino _ says.” Red hissed out, “I’m visiting the mother of my child.”

Khan let out a cry and looked to the door to Red and over to Runa, before hurrying back out, grabbing Simmons’ arm to drag him along.

Runa watched blankly as Red walked further inside, ignoring the fact that the scientists had tried to stop him and were probably on their way to tell Domino. She faced him and smiled slightly, “You’re never the one to follow the rules.”

“What’s this about you contracting yourself to Domino?” Red questioned as soon as he got close to her. She flinched at the accusatory tone he had before sighing.

“Who told you?”

“A creepy human that could go invisible.” He waved his hand, “She doesn’t matter, what matters is that you’re planning to contract yourself to him.” His antennae twitched, “Is this about Zim?”

“It’s always about Zim.” Runa said tiredly, “This whole impending war is about Zim. I wasn’t even planning on contracting with Domino, Gaz suggested it--”

“Who?”

“The creepy human that goes invisible.” Runa clarified, “She’s Dib’s sister and she’s good at what she does. Look, becoming contracted to someone is the last thing I want to do, given how it worked the last time--”

“You should do it.” Red said before she could continue.

Runa was caught off guard by the sudden words, “--w-wait, I thought you’d be--”

“I am.” He hissed out. “I’m absolutely against this entire idea, but we have no other choice in the matter. It can’t be me.” He gestured to himself, “While I’d rather it would be me, we have a chance to go back to where we started and neither of us wants to take those backward leaps.” As soon as he stopped the overhead sirens began to whistle, but he didn’t leave.

Runa was dumbstruck, actually. She expected Red to try and stop her from making a decision or perhaps try and become the person she would contract to. The last thing she expected was an unwilling compliance and his insistence that she’d go forward with the plan. “Why are you doing this?” She said over the sirens.

Red ignored the door bursting open to alien soldiers. “Because if you don’t do this we will lose our son.” He allowed himself to be grabbed after that, watching Runa steadily.

Runa’s heart hammered in her chest, looking from him to the aliens holding him, watching Domino make his way back inside while the sirens stopped.

“I had a feeling you’d try to do something stupid.” The Irken hissed out, stepping over to Red and narrowing his eyes, “If you’re trying to--”

“He didn’t try to do anything!” Runa interrupted Domino quickly, glaring at him. “Let him go, he wasn’t here to act against you in any way.”

Red kept his face devoid of any emotion as Domino looked at him for any indication that she was lying. Domino’s antennae twitched irritably and turned to Runa. “If he’s not here for the painfully obvious than what, praytell, was he here for?”

Runa placed her hands onto the glass. “He was here to give me his blessing.”

There was a beat of silence and Domino looked back at Red, suspicious. “Blessing.”

The tension between the two of them was thick and electric, violet meeting red before one tore themselves away. Red still refused to say anything, as if he knew that Domino wouldn’t listen. Runa kept the silence, watching the two of them and realizing that Red was doing so much right now. He was putting aside his animosity for Domino in order to help save the solar system from the Empire’s rule. He was practically telling Runa that she should do what she can to protect their son and everyone that matters to them.

Runa’s hands splayed flat against the glass, and it began to crack. Domino and Red turned to watch as the glass beneath her touch was starting to shatter from her own abilities, and soon there was a resounding hole where the glass should be. Runa smiled and jumped down from the containment cube, walking over to them. The two aliens that were holding Red still looked anxious and frightened, letting go of Red and scrambling back from her as she stepped forward. She ignored them, taking Red’s hand and holding it between hers.

“I’ll do it.” Runa said then, turning towards Domino, “If it means we save everyone, I’ll do what I have to.”


End file.
